Happy or not, there are always endings (Swan Queen)
by Virtugis
Summary: Regina had once again lost her true love, and found herself at the verge of turning back into the Evil Queen. She never expected what the Savior would do in order to protect the people she loved and cared about. In spite of that, Emma wasn't sure she was doing the saving this time.
1. Chapter 1 - Grief

A.N.: This story begins after Robin's death. Regina does not separate herself from the Evil Queen.

Prologue

[REGINA'S POV]

Robin died. He died trying to protect me. I had been happy as could be, my happy ending finally coming true. Robin was just so kind to me. Loving. He took care of me, and loved all of my sides. Even the Evil Queen.

It was hard now to gather all the memories, the moments, the feelings and just put them in the past. Robin was still a part of my present. I loved him. Probably more than I had loved Daniel. More than I had loved anyone, romantically speaking. I didn't want to pursue this love, to feel all this hurricane of feelings that seems to twist everything that I once believed in, all the walls I had built around my broken and frozen heart. But love had just found me, and as much as I tried – God, did I try – I could not fight it anymore. And that's exactly what made everything harder.

And then, the biggest shock came: Hook was alive. That filthy bastard, stupid drunken pirate was alive and well, even after everything that happened. I blamed it on Emma. Blamed it on Hook. Blamed it on all the hearts I crushed, all the people I killed and all the misery I put so many people in Karma is a bitch. I guess Evil Queens don't get a happy ending. We just get _endings_.

Chapter 1 – Grief

[REGINA'S POV]

It was as it was expected to be. Everyone was at Storybrooke once again. Hook was alive and well. He and Emma were together. Henry was safe. And Robin… Gone. At first, it angered me beyond belief. It was not _fair_ that Robin was gone and Hook was alive. But then again, that's what I deserved, wasn't it?

At the funeral, I felt like I buried the last broken pieces of my heart along with him. Yes, I have loved him. More than I expected I would – or should, for the matter.

I went home and just shut myself out. I could not face these people… My friends. Nothing good ever came up from love. Well, except Henry. _Henry_ … I had to forbid him from coming over. Said that I needed some time alone with my thoughts. Since everyone was so worried the Evil Queen would come back to the surface, he respected my wishes. We would still talk over the phone and he would text me all day long to check in on me. He was such a precious and special young man. Nobody came looking for me when I didn't show up at work for days. My guess is… They were _afraid_.

As the days went by, the truth is I didn't know who I was anymore. The Evil Queen? Regina Mills? What was the purpose of it all? Why would something so great as love exist, only to rip apart all that we had inside?

I sighed and looked around. The house felt completely empty and huge. All the windows were shut, and by that time there was no way of knowing if it was day or night. I lost track of how many days had passed. I kept reassuring Henry that I was fine, that I just needed some more time. The poor kid… He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve his mother not being able to get a hold on herself like that. I tried sitting down on the bed. I was dizzy as hell, and then the memories started coming back slowly. I had not eaten at all in the past 3 days. The only thing that I could muster was alcohol. Of course, it did not fix absolutely anything, but it made me feel numb.

 _Such weakness_ , I thought. I wonder what Cora would think after seeing her daughter like this. I was a Queen, for God's sake. Never have I ever showed such a display of horrendous vulnerability and inconsistence, even when Daniel died. Now I wasn't sure I would be able to recover. The pain was just too much, it seemed like I was being stretched far more than my body could handle, and there was nothing and no one to cut me loose. I felt my chest get heavier; breathing was proving to be very difficult. I was hyperventilating. I tried getting up, taking long and deep breaths. I stumbled and tripped over an empty bottle by the foot of the bed, falling on the ground. A stinging pain hit my chin. I had hit something during the fall.

I laughed, bitterly. It's funny how things work. The pain that I felt inside was immeasurable, but feeling an outside pain gave me… _Relief._ It's like at that moment, I had something else to worry about. For a second, the excruciating pain inside gave way to the thin blood dripping from my face. It wasn't much, but it was _enough_ to make me forget about my inner demons.

I felt the rage and confusion swirl up inside. The once blackened heart was pumping with desperation. Would it ever heal? I felt like a kid shivering all over, knowing a huge monster was right behind them, and if they dared look, they would be caught and devoured mercilessly. Except, _I_ was my own monster. The Evil Queen was still in me, and I felt her desperately scratching the inner parts of my heart in an attempt to escape my personal walls. The walls that I so proudly built to not be that person anymore. What was still holding her back was a mystery to me. After all, there was nothing I thought I could lose. Except for my son.

I crawled up a little and accidentally reached another bottle. I picked it up closer to read it. _Whiskey._ I opened up the bottle and took a long sip, and coughed. It came down burning my insides, and my stomach protested. My senses were not as they were supposed to be. I felt my vision begin to blur and tried to move a little forward. Where to, exactly? I burst out laughing bitterly. _I was just so lost_. Tears joined the ending of the laughter. _I must look gorgeous_ , I thought. _With blood, tears and a 3 day old makeup all over my face_. Why did I even bother to put make up on was a mystery.

I sighed, and heard someone calling my name. _Oh, great. Now I'm hearing things._ I had jinxed the house, so nobody could come inside, except for Henry and… _Shit._ I opened my eyes the best I could and looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Regina? Are you all right?" _Emma_. Of course. Out of everyone, I could not let the _savior_ see me that way. Henry's biological mother. My friend. I was just a pathetic sore loser. I tried getting closer to the bed in order to lift myself up. I failed miserably at the task and was beginning to lose balance again, when a pair of hands steadied me from behind.

"Regina, let me help you". She said, trying hard to keep both bodies balanced enough. I failed to help her do that, and we ended up falling over the bed. I hit my head in another bottle near the pillow. _Such a lucky bastard_ , I thought. Emma fell on top of me, but quickly managed to lay on her side, and turned me over to face the ceiling.

"I came in to check on you. Henry is losing it." _Henry. Oh, my poor Henry. What a sorry excuse for a mother I was._ I wanted to get up, but Emma held my shoulders in protest.

"You're not getting _anywhere_ in this condition. Have you eaten?" I shook my head and looked up at her and watched as she examined all the empty bottles. She let out a sad look, and was that _pity_ in her eyes? There was an untidiness that was completely unfamiliar to both of us all over the house. Emma sighed. She made way to the window and was about to open it up when I protested.

"Please… Don't." Something in my face must have convinced her, and I knew what it was. I wiped away a stubborn tear off my face. She came in closer and sat down on my lap, suddenly making me startle. Emma cupped my face and looked at my chin in concern. It's obvious to the both of us that our relationship has changed _enormously_ through time, but physical contact between the two of us has always been shy, if it ever occurred. This was a huge leap between our former selves and what was happening now.

"I need to give you a shower." She said with conviction.

"No… I… I can't get up." I blushed. It was true. I turned to the left side, avoiding her eyes. With the movement, she got off of me and left the bed. I closed my eyes trying to fight new tears, unsuccessfully. After a few moments, Emma came back.

I felt my chin hurt once again and moved my head, but Emma just held my face gently and said: "Shh… This will hurt just a little bit." I opened my eyes and saw her mopping my cut with a wet piece of cloth. Judging by the smell, there was some medicine in it, but I couldn't distinguish which.

I closed my eyes again. Damn, it was hard facing Emma being so vulnerable. I never allowed anyone to see me in that state before. I just wanted to disappear, to kick her out, to die... But I just remained there, not moving, while she was taking care of me. One more time. _Must be a "Savior complex" or something_.

I looked up at her in time to see her placing a Band-Aid on the now clean and not bleeding cut. Our eyes met, and there was something I could not understand in her green ones. She rubbed her right thumb over my left cheek.

"Regina… I know this is not easy for you, but you need to get it together. For Henry."

I avoided her eyes. _Of course, I knew that_. Which only made things even worse. She placed her hand on my chin and lifted it up gently, forcing me into looking at her in the eyes.

"What do you expect me to do, Emma?! Just get out of bed and pretend that my life is not a giant and turbulent snowball just waiting to crush everything and everyone that crosses its path?!"

"No! I just want you to stop _killing_ yourself. I mean… What are all these?!" She said, pointing at the 7 different bottles all over the bed and floor. "They will definitely _not_ help you."

"I know that! But I just don't know…" My voice cracked.

"What? What do you not know?!" She asked, raising her voice a little.

"… I just don't know, Emma. I don't know what to do. I don't know… Who I am anymore." The last sentence came out as a whisper.

She laid her back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, saying nothing for a while. I did the same, as if the ceiling held the answers to all my problems.

"You know… You _really_ need a shower." She said with a grin on her face.

I laughed. _Genuinely_ laughed, and looked at her.

"I know. I'm just not sure I can get up and…"

Before I could finish the sentence, she was reaching out to me and helping me get up. My balance was playing tricks on me, but Emma managed to keep us both up. Step by hazy step, she led us to the bathroom. I looked up at the mirror and my heart raced. I saw the Evil Queen staring back at me, and then blinked. She was gone. All that was left was my shattered image. _Damn, I looked like crap_. My hair was surprisingly untidy. My clothes were crumpled beyond any known standard to date, and my make-up… A panda bear wore it better.

"Here, let me help you out of your clothes…" Emma began, but I protested.

"Oh no, there is absolutely no way I'm letting you do this, Ms. Swan. I've got this." I said. Of course, I _couldn't_ do it on my own. But the idea of being so useless that I wasn't even able to shower myself scared me. I still had a lot of pride and stubbornness running through my veins, along with all the alcohol.

She lifted both hands up as if to say "all right, your call", but remained there. I looked at her in disbelief, finishing to take my black leather jacket off and leaving it on the ground – it was the best I could do in my current condition.

"What are you doing?! You're not _staying_ here, are you?"

"Well, of course I am! I'm not letting your drunk ass alone in this bathroom. You know what? I'm just gonna sit here and wait. Don't worry, I won't _look_." Emma said, and I rolled my eyes. The woman would not be talked out of it, so I just gave up. Besides, I could still conjure up a fireball, if need be.

I took my black leather skirt off and had to lay both hands on the sink for balance. Emma just remained sitting on the toilet with arms crossed, undisturbed. Then, I removed the blue cotton blouse and was just on my underwear. I blushed. I looked at Emma again, but she did not look back. _At least, she half respects my privacy_ , I thought.

I took a deep breath and removed first the bra and then the panties. They were both white. I laid everything on the floor and entered in the shower box. The water that came from the shower was a little cold and sent shivers all over my body, but I didn't want to warm it up. I reached up to the soap and started the cleaning process. I rinsed my hair in no time, still a little disturbed by my unwelcome guest. When I was about to finish, the soap escaped through my fingers and fell. _Oh, great._

Before I could reach it, Emma was already there, holding it up for me. She was probably afraid I would fall and die for sure, this time. She only had time to remove her boots before coming in. Or were they already off? I could not tell. Suddenly, I felt dizzier than I had. Emma realized that and held me in her arms, dropping the soap again. The water was still flowing, watering the both of us. My body felt heavier at the second.

"Emma… I can't…" That was all I had to say before Emma took the towel and led us out, into the bed again. She quickly tossed the bottles aside and laid me down, still wet. I know she had been saying something, but I had no idea what it was. My vision was all black, and that's all I remembered, before I passed out.

[EMMA'S POV]

Regina passed out. If I had been worried before, now it reached a peak where I did not know what to do. I checked her pulse. Fortunately, it was good. I realized she started shaking a bit. _Hypothermia_. I gulped. _Okay. So, I need to… Christ._ I took a deep breath. _Yeah, I can do this. I mean, what's the matter, right? It's just Regina. Nothing new, here. I just had never seen her naked ass, obviously._ And there's the fact that every single person in town is worried that she might go full on Evil Queen on everything that moves. Which was the reason why I came here, in the first had been a meeting, everyone attended. Some citizens wanted to flee, to run away from Storybrooke, because they were afraid of Regina. Yes, she had changed, but people sometimes tend to stick to the past more than they should. It had been decided that I should go and fix the situation, as their Savior. No one seemed to bother to just _ask_ how Regina was doing, or if there was something she needed. Suddenly, everybody was seeing her as a threat unlike any other. Some people even suggested we kill Regina. What good would that do? How would we be able to live with that?! And, of course, there's Henry. _Our_ son.

Unsure as how to proceed in this undoubtedly atypical situation, I took the towel and with gentle and loving movements, started rubbing it on Regina's body, and sighed. _I definitely didn't sign up for this._ I started on her face, going down to her neck and shoulders. Then, her breasts. _She had beautiful breasts_. I blushed. After that thought, I finished the task real quick, especially on her lady parts. Was I _attracted_ to her? That could not be. Definitely, not. I mean, I had a boyfriend, and Regina was full-on straight, as far as I could tell. I have had my experiences before, but for a long time I had never wanted a woman again. _Until…_

I went to her wardrobe and picked up new underwear and a blue cotton set of pajamas. She was incredibly tidy, and her lingerie was stunning. I smirked. She probably had an entertaining sex life. I went over to the bed and looked at her naked body, blushing. I sat beside her and dressed her up slowly, as if I was afraid she would break, and couldn't control my trembling fingers. _Damn. What's going on?_ I knew I had a responsibility with the people from this town, but this was almost too much. _Almost_.

After she was fully dressed and shaking a lot less, I realized that _I_ was still wet from the shower – and maybe not _just_ the shower. I took my red leather jacket off and placed it on a beautiful white velvet vintage armchair, the kind that looked like it came from a palace. Of course Regina would have something like that in her house. The fancy armchair was near the window. My gray tank top was also wet, and I took it off as well, along with the blue skinny jeans and socks. I was left only on my underwear, and looked around. _This is a mess._ I picked the bottles up one by one and went downstairs to the kitchen. I threw them in the trashcan near the sink. Back to the bathroom, I took Regina's clothes from the ground and to the washing machine and turned it on. I went upstairs again and sat on the fancy armchair. I would never call it any other way other than "fancy".

I looked up at my cellphone. Henry had left a text message. " _How is she? She's not drinking, is she? Send me a pic ASAP"_ I sighed. Henry would not see his mother like this. I just replied " _We're putting things to order, talk to you later, kid."_

I knew he wouldn't buy it, but it's the best I could do, for now. There was another text message, but from Hook. _"Is the Evil Queen being evil to you? Let me know if she attempts anything. I'll bloody rip her hear out."_ _Charming_ as a pirate can be. I looked at the watch. It was now half past 1 am, and I yawned.

I was tired, but couldn't leave Regina like that. I _wouldn't_. Henry would never forgive me… And neither would _I._ I walked over and sat on the bed, considering it for a while. After some hesitant moments, I decided that it would be better to stick close to her, and that meant… _Sleep with her_. For some reason, my heart pumped faster than usual at the thought. God, I looked like a teenage boy with the hormones out of control. As if I had never seen a naked woman before. Well, at least, not as hot as Regina.

Not in a million years have I pictured this. I laughed. _Regina will kill me in the morning_. I slowly laid down beside her and placed the crumpled blanket over our cold bodies. She was lying down on her right side, facing the window wall, and I could see her back shivering. _Damn it. Why won't she warm up?_ I decided to wait a few minutes and see if the blanket would do any good.

No success. As desperation was taking me over, I did the one last thing I thought that could help: I cuddled. I pulled her body close to mine, adjusting our curves so that not a single inch of her body was uncovered. My bare skin was offering her enough warmth.

Her skin was soft and her hair was pretty close to my nose. She smelled nice, and I could feel her tremors slowly calming down. I sighed in relief. A little after that, I was asleep, too.

I had been sleeping for quite some time when it started. Regina was mumbling inaudible words in her sleep and started moving furiously.

"Regina…" I said, laying my left hand over her shoulder. "Regina… What's wrong?" But she wouldn't answer. She started frowning and laid down on her back, moving her head to either side frantically.

"No… _No… Not again."_ That's all I could hear. She was definitely having a nightmare. Was it about Robin?

"Regina, hey. Wake up." I said, shaking her lightly. It didn't work. "Regina!" She was now moving her arms and feet as if she was running, wrestling, or _both_.

"No… Please, don't… Don't do this!"

I sat up on bed now, uncomfortable at the sight and not being able to wake her up.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Regina screamed and sat down on bed. She was sweating all over, her skin was cold and her breath was uneven, as if she had really been running.

"Regina?" I tried, timidly. She looked at me, confused. There was no recognition in her face as she frowned. Her eyes turned gray, cold and distant. "Regina! Talk to me!" She seemed to slowly come to her senses, and desperation took over. Without warning, she hugged me. It was a tight embrace, her hands were trembling and I could feel the cold sweat that came from her body on my barely naked one. Her nose was touching my neck and I felt goosebumps. She looked like a frightened kid hugging their mother.

Long seconds have passed. Her breathing was slowly going back to normal, and her body felt shaky again.

"I…" Regina said, breaking the embrace. She looked puzzled at me, and I at her. "I… You…"

"What's wrong, Regina?" I asked cautiously, resting a hand over her shoulder.

She looked at my hand and at me, then at my hand again. She took my hand off her shoulder and turned her back on me, laying down and staring at the wall.

"Nothing. Just a stupid nightmare."

I sighed, but didn't push her. I turned my back on her, too, and we both pretended to sleep for the next hours.


	2. Chapter 2 - An unexpected bond

Chapter 2 – An unexpected bond

[REGINA'S POV]

I was scared. I couldn't sleep anymore, and the presence of Emma only made things even harder. I shifted in bed, once again. I had no idea what time it was, and frustration was taking over. I wanted to drink. I reached for the nightstand and took up a flask from the drawer.

By the moment I opened up the lid, a hand reached over and took the flask from my hands.

"I'm not letting you do this." Emma said, closed the lid and laid the flask behind her in bed.

"Oh, yes, you are." I said, reaching out for the flask, but Emma held my wrists in her hands. We wrestled for the flask, but I lost. I had no strength in me to keep fighting. Emma rolled over me and held both my hands up on the pillow, straddling me. My eyes were watery when I said in a muffled voice " _… Please…"_

Emma did not let go of her hold on me, but I could sense an internal fight happening through her green eyes. Slowly she came in closer, with her nose touching mine, and asked "Why? Why do you want it so bad? Just tell me what's going on."

My heart raced. I felt like my personal space was being totally invaded by her, but at the same time, I _liked_ it. I could not think straight, and was not even sure I had a real answer for that. I had never felt this lost.

Emma's gaze was so intense, I had never seen it like that before. She laid her weight over me, her face now beside mine. Her mouth was dangerously near my ear as she whispered, "Why do you want to _not_ feel?"

I felt goosebumps, and could not answer. If there's something I wanted right now, it was to _feel her_. Emma's face slowly moved to face mine once again. My heart was racing, and I could feel her uneven breath upon mine. This was Emma. Something was not right in all this. Then, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against mine.

I was shocked. My eyes were still open when she opened hers with an inquisitive look. Once again, Emma brushed her lips against mine. This time, her tongue made its way through my mouth, massaging my own tongue in the process. I still couldn't believe what was happening, but wouldn't stop it. Even if I wanted to. _And I did not want to._

Emma's breath was getting heavier as our kiss became more desperate. I couldn't control my own hazy thoughts anymore, so I could not tell when and _why_ my hands were exploring her back with such emotion.

I scratched her back with one hand and Emma let out a moan. That turned me on completely. If I had any hope of stopping whatever was happening, it was gone by now. Emma started unbuttoning my pajama shirt, and before I knew it, my left hand was on her breast over her bra, squeezing it. Her breath was heavy and fast and she let out a grin. I rolled her over and inverted positions, now being on top.

I took my shirt off quickly, throwing it over to the side. I looked at Emma intensely and she pulled my head closer with her right hand to kiss her again. We kissed passionately, as if our lives depended on it. Our hearts were beating amazingly fast, and I could feel the sweat beginning to form on her exposed belly against mine.

I licked her neck slowly, nipping her earlobe. She moaned. My left hand reached her right boob again, and she started moving her hips against mine. I took her bra off at once and started suckling her nipple. Her hand moved furiously on the back of my neck, pulling and pushing at will. I made slow circular moves with my tongue, causing her to close her eyes.

With my other hand, I started scratching her belly slowly and softly, until the hem of her panties. She exhaled sharply and looked me in the eyes. I waited for her approval and she nodded, pushing my head down her body. I ripped her panties out and bit the inner part of her thighs, making all her body move with desire.

I spread her legs out with both hands and reached one nipple with my right hand. It got instantly hard beneath my fingers. Without warning, I slowly and softly licked her clit, making her shiver all over. I looked at her in the eyes, and she looked back at me. For one second, that's all that happened. Then, I started slowly licking her clit in circular movements, making her moan louder at the second. I sucked her clit vigorously, breathing through my mouth against her. I thrust my tongue against her opening, making her scratch the back of my neck hard and pull me up.

"Please…" She said, moaning and breathing hard "I want you… _Inside._ "

With my left hand, I thrust two fingers at once in her incredibly wet opening, making her body twitch and pull me closer and tighter against her. Her legs wrapped around my waist in a firm grip. My left ear was beside her mouth, and the noises she made were making me amazingly wet. We were both panting now, her moans were uncontrollable. Her hips were moving against my fingers in unison, faster at the second. We were moaning, sweating, _feeling_.

"Regina… I…" Emma said, pleasure and lust all over her face. "I'm gonna…" At the sound of that, I quickly removed my fingers and placed my mouth on her crotch, working my tongue fast and hard against her clitoris. She was screaming now, scratching my shoulders and the back of my neck hard, and I knew it would leave a mark. I could feel the skin being slightly ripped by her fingernails.

"Ah… Ah… Regina! _Aaaaaaaah_!" She said, coming in my mouth. I felt spasms as I thrust my tongue against her opening, licking and sucking all the goo, finally kissing the tip of her clit, causing her another spasm. I smiled.

She pulled me over and kissed me slowly. It was still urgent, but in a different way. My hips were pressed against her exposed one. That's when I realized that she had once again placed both legs around my hips in a tight embrace. Her breath remained uneven for several minutes. I laid my head down against her chest, listening to her racing heart. It was funny how _real_ it felt. I felt somehow alive, _good_. Her arms were around my back. Somehow, we both fell asleep shortly after that.

[EMMA'S POV]

 _What the hell was I thinking?_ I stared at Regina's head down on my chest. A few hours earlier, we had had sex in a very lustful fashion. _Jesus fuck, we had sex!_ After everything. After what she's been through. I had never thought of her in that way, but in that position, it just… _Had to happen_. There was a whole town of frightened citizens waiting for a disaster to happen. I had seen it. The Evil Queen, right when she woke up from the nightmare. It lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough for her to not be able to take control of herself. I had to make Regina feel again, _no matter what cost_.

And now, I had to deal with it. With Henry. God, Henry… What would he do if he found out? He was a teenager now, I'm not sure I can just hide things from him anymore. And there's Hook… _Jesus, I'm such a mess_. This whole Savior thing was getting completely out of hand in a matter of hours.

I tried moving slowly without waking her up. It was hard, since she was _all over me_. That's when I realized how tight I was holding her. A shiver went down my spine at the memory of her _inside_ me. I breathed slowly and cautiously, as if my very breathing could wake her up. Thinking better, after all that alcohol, waking her up would be an impossible task by now.

I managed to successfully untangle myself from her and left her on the bed. I took my bra, my torn apart panties from the ground and my clothes over the fancy armchair and silently went to the bathroom. I took a quick cold shower, dressed up – without my panties – and went to the kitchen. She still needed to eat. I looked at the watch. It was 8am. I made some pancakes with my poor cooking abilities and left a note on the fridge that said, "there are pancakes in the oven".

I ate and left without looking back.

The morning at the Sheriff's department went by slowly. My thoughts were haunting me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hide it from the people I loved for long. They could read me easily. My dad was getting suspicious, and my airy mood didn't do me any favors.

"… Emma?"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"I was asking you what you want me to do about the call from last week. We were supposed to check in today, but you seem… _Distracted_."

"Uhm… What was it, again?"

"Jesus, Emma. What's going on with you today?" He waited for an explanation. Since none came, he continued "The Forest incident? The strange markings on the trees and people saying that there's _something_ roaming about…"

"Oh… _Right._ Um, dad, do you mind checking in on that on your own? I'm feeling a little…" The memory of Regina's head between my legs as I came, came to mind again and I gulped. "Distracted."

"Fine. But after we're gonna have a little conversation."

I nodded and sighed. I watched as my dad left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. This was going to be a long day. I felt guilty in a lot of ways. Remorseful. _I regretted it._ And didn't. And I hated myself for having _enjoyed_ it. Hell. I more than enjoyed. It was _fucking amazing_. No-one made me come that fast and that hard before. If she ever found out the reason why I did it…

"Morning, love" I jumped off slightly startled. It was Hook, biting and apple. He took a sit on the table in front of me. "How did it go? Glad to see you survived" He said, grinning.

"Well… It was okay." I said, trying to not give any details of the poor woman's state when I got there. Hook waited for more, nodding his head. "… And I got her to take a shower and put her to bed. That's it."

"What? She didn't curse you? Cast you a fireball or anything? Are you in one piece?" _Barely_ , I thought.

"Hook! She's been through a lot. Don't be so mean." I said, uncomfortably, and got up. I walked towards the window and looked out. "She's just depressed, that's all."

He came behind me and laid both hands on my waist, turning my body over to face his. He was smiling. "You're a better man than I am, Swan." He leaned closer and kissed me smoothly. I did not close my eyes and watched as he separated himself from me and waved goodbye, saying something about a project he was on. I was not paying attention at all.

I kept watching my phone constantly, without really knowing why. Was Regina okay? She might as well have just drunk some more and passed out again. Damn. I took my phone up and called Henry. He picked up in a heartbeat.

"Hey, kid! How you doing?"

"Hey ma… I'm good, and you? How's mom?"

"She… She's fine, kid. Nothing to worry about."

"… You left her at home alone, didn't you?"

"…"

"MA!"

"Sorry! I had to come to work, and to Hook, and…"

"What? To Hook? What do you mean?" I sighed.

"Nothing. I'll go there now. My shift's almost over anyway. You go to my parents', okay? Catch up with you tomorrow."

"But, mom…"

"I know you're a young man and can handle yourself, but I am your mother, Henry. Please." He exhaled irritably.

"Fine. But you take care of mom, okay?! _Please_."

"I will."

 _Oh, yes. I'm definitely gonna take very good care of her_ , I thought. I wasn't even able to take care of myself, let alone her in this situation. But I'd try. For Henry.

Being the Sherriff meant a lot of paperwork. It was extremely hard dealing with that after what was likely the best orgasm of my life. In a scale of 1 to 10, my focus was about zero, to say the least. After twenty long minutes, it was finally over. I exited the station and went to my yellow bug. I got in the car, inhaled deeply and turned the engine on. After about two minutes of wondering randomly, I started to make my way over to Regina's. I really hoped that things didn't get so weird, but knowing Regina… The trip was short and uneventful. I parked the car, stopped at the door, and tried to open it. It wouldn't open. I tried again. Nothing. _What the hell? I am allowed in here any time. Unless…_ _Of course._

I took my phone and called Regina. She didn't pick up, but I could see movement in the house. I called again, murmuring a _damn it, Regina. Pick it up!_ After four insistent calls, she came to the door. She looked better than she had the night before. She was in pajamas, but she looked _clean_ _and fed_. But she smelled like wine. That's when I saw the red wine bottle hanging in her right hand.

"Hello." She said, with a harsh look on her face.

"Hi."

We stood there for some time, just looking at each other.

"May I come in?" I asked, reluctantly. She seemed to think it over for a long time before opening up the door and allowing me through.


	3. Chapter 3 - Unstoppable force

Chapter 3 – Unstoppable force

[REGINA'S POV]

I woke up and looked around. Emma was nowhere to be seen. My head hurt like hell. Being sober after three days of heavy drinking was taking the best of me. Was there any potion for a hangover? I was determined to find out. I sat up slowly and looked around. The bed was untidy from all the action that had happened, and the pillow smelled like her.

I looked around and reached the shirt of my pajamas. I put it on, buttoned it up and took a look at the room. Emma had taken all the bottles away. I slowly got up, a stinging pain hitting my head the moment my legs reached the floor. My left hand stood over my left eyebrow, as if it could help ease the pain somehow. I went to the bathroom with wary steps and found out that the crumpled clothes from the night before were not there anymore. Had she left the house? I went downstairs to find out. The stairs were a challenge. Thank God for handrails. I called Emma up unsuccessfully. Nothing in the living room. I went to the kitchen and saw a note on the table. Well, at least there was something fresh for eating. I couldn't remember the real taste of food. I took some pancakes from the oven and ate them. It was hard to feel any taste at all. Then, a thought just crossed my mind. I remade the spell that kept everyone from getting in the house in order to allow just Henry in. All the commotion from the night before was too much to just happen again out of the sudden. I had to at least be prepared, or aware.

I looked at my phone. It was 3pm. _Hell, if I don't look like Sleeping Beauty right now_. I let out a sad smile. With a wave of a hand, a bottle of red wine appeared and I started drinking. The first sip was a relief. The burning sensation of something aching through my insides was somehow pleasant. Like I was punishing myself. I did not deserve love. I did not deserve to be with anyone. I stayed there for hours feeling sorry for myself, and only realized it when I heard the doorknob moving. It was Emma, I knew, and she could not get in. I smiled and waited. I really did not know what to do about what had happened. Since this was Emma we were talking about, she would not give up easily. She just kept calling me. I gulped the remaining of the wine bottle down and decided to open the door. I reached it slowly, with my best effort to seem undisturbed by her presence in any way.

"Hello."

"Hi… May I come in?"

I considered it for a while, but opened up the door and made way, closing it behind her. I conjured up another bottle of red wine, uncorked it with magic again and started drinking from the bottleneck. Emma looked at it reproachfully.

"So you're just gonna drink your life out? That's it?"

I shrugged and sat down at the couch. She followed and sat beside me, daringly.

"Ok, so if you're drinking, I want some, too." I looked at her skeptically.

"Oh, _really_?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Yes." She said with conviction. "Let's kill ourselves together and leave Henry to my parents. I bet they will do a wonderful job."

I looked at her with piercing eyes.

"What is it that you want, Emma?"

"I want you to fight back, damn it!" She said, standing up and pacing around. She looked at me, took the bottle of wine and took a 15-second sip. "I want you back to your normal self." I got up too, trying to take the bottle from her hand, but she wouldn't let me.

"Emma. Please." I said. My voice was fierce and determined, almost like it sounded when… _When I was the Evil Queen._

"Or what?" She said, daring, and took another long sip. I reached for the bottle, but she pushed me away and kept sipping. With a move of my hands, I magically took the bottle and raced towards the bedroom. Emma followed in no time and reached the bottle by the time we got to the door. We wrestled for it a bit, before I blurted out.

"Fine! You know what? You can have that, I don't mind. I'll just conjure up another one!" And so I did. Emma's face was filled with anger. She asked gritting her teeth "Why. Are. You. Doing. This?"

Imitating her, I took a long sip of the red wine in my hands, and I watched her curiously, when she threw the bottle of wine that was in her hands at the wall angrily. The white walls were stained from the dark liquid in such a beautiful contrast. Light and dark seemed to fit together.

"You're just so incredibly stubborn! No wonder you always end up alone!"

That was it. The trigger. Emma's face was full of regret the moment she said it, and she came closer with her hands in front of her as an apology.

"Regina… I didn't mean that, Regi-" But I was gone. With a hand wave and a puff of purple smoke, I disappeared into the night. I went straight to the Mausoleum. To where all the hearts were… All but mine. Emma was right, after all. I fell down on my knees, not baring to take anything else anymore, and held the bottle to my trembling mouth, taking a long sip. I slowly fell down to a fetal position, bottle in one hand, crying and sobbing hard. There was _something_ inside of me desperately wanting to see the daylight, and I knew it very well. All the rage, the fear and the pride were summoning the Evil Queen back.

-x-

[EMMA'S POV]

If I had been worried before, it was nothing compared to how I was now. Why did I have to be _so damn impulsive_? Now she could be anywhere. What would Henry think of me? _God, he will never forgive me_. Would she be okay? What happened now if the Evil Queen decided to take over? I had seen the darkness, and _feared_ it.

I needed to do something, and I needed to do it quick. I started thinking of all the places she could go. She could be in tons of places. Granny's? No… Too public. She would definitely not go to my parents'. Maybe her office, or… Maybe… _The Mausoleum?_ Well, it was worth the shot. I left the house quickly and closed the door behind me. While racing to my car, I avoided two calls from Henry, and a text from Hook. They could wait.

When I got to the car, I thought about simply teleporting. First, I would try her office. If I had no luck, the Mausoleum. Sometimes, magic made life _a lot_ easier. I was there in a heartbeat, but another problem was up: the protective spell. _Freaking A. How on Earth would I get in there?_ I thought about it for a long time until I came up with the conclusion that I could only do one thing: Scream and knock. No answer came from the office. I peeked around and waited. Absolutely no response. After about ten to fifteen minutes, I gave up. _The Mausoleum, then._ I poofed again, right in front of it. Another protective spell laid upon the place. I sighed. Damn cautious woman.

I started banging on the heavy doors furiously, calling for Regina. Anyone in a mile's radius could hear me, that's for sure.

[REGINA'S POV]

A short time has passed, but I was not crying anymore. Instead, I felt completely resolute. Empty. Angered beyond control. I was sitting down against the wall across from the entrance when I heard loud noises. Banging-on-the-door noises. I was still on my pajamas. I laughed bitterly and changed into a tight black dress from my queen days. I looked around and got up slowly, leaning against the wall. I went over to the door and opened it up, without really thinking.

Emma raced past the door and hugged me apprehensively.

"Oh my God, oh my God, _thank God_ you're here! I didn't know where you went, why… Are you okay?" She asked cupping my cheeks, analyzing my face. That's when she noticed the outfit and I could see a light shiver going down her spine. She gulped.

"I…" _didn't know what to say._ What a strange woman Ms. Swan was. She hugged me again. My dizzy head could not make sense out of it, and I felt tired. Emma was making me tired.

"We are going home, now, okay?" She asked, but without waiting for a confirmation, we were teleported back to my place. My bedroom, specifically. Emma seemed to be extremely careful with me, now. She led me to the bed and sat down beside me on the edge. We looked into each other's eyes.

"Emma… What the hell?" I asked, frowning. "One moment you just burst at me, and then all of the sudden you're hugging me, not to mention…" I wouldn't finish the sentence.

"… What?" She asked, cautiously. "Not to mention what, Regina?"

"What happened to us." I stared at her intensely, but she couldn't keep the gaze. I felt my eyes flutter and had to fight the urge to conjure a fireball and cast at her straight in the face. I closed my eyes trying to fight the internal struggle that was slowly taking everything out of me.

"That was a mistake." She said, simply.

"Well, I know that." I said, and she looked at me. "I mean, you're with Hook, and I'm with…" Robin? It was odd to remember he wasn't there anymore. "Besides, we're not… I'm not…"

Silence fell. "Does Henry know?"

"What, exactly? That I'm into girls?"

"No. That both his mothers decided to venture on a sexual _experiment_."

"No. I haven't told… Anyone."

"Good. Now… What are we going to do?"

"There's nothing to be done about it. We just… Move on. Like nothing happened. Because _nothing_ happened." Emma said it more to herself than to me, as if trying to convince herself that was true.

I nodded. Emma shifted uncomfortably on the bed and tried multiple different spots to lay her eyes on all of the sudden. She reached out to the back of my neck in an impulse and touched it slowly, giving me goosebumps.

"What the…" I started, lifting my hand up in an attempt to conjure a fireball – that never came.

"I think I got a little _too_ excited last night." She said and gulped. "Is your back also scratched?"

"Oh my god. We're teenagers again." I rolled my eyes. "At least you're scratch-free, right."

"Yes…" Emma answered with a shy smile on her face, lost in her own thoughts. Her hand still remained on the back of my neck, and slowly started descending to the other scratches, drawing them up curiously. There it was. I was _feeling_ again. My gaze upon her was fuming. My heart started racing fast, but I wouldn't let her know. Her hand finally reached my lower back and she placed it over my hand on the bed. Emma was staring at our hands together.

As if waking from a daydream, she removed her hand quickly and was about to get up, when I held her wrist and pulled her down, closer to me. I gulped.

"Emma. What's going on?" I asked, suspiciously. Her wrist was still on my hand, our faces were very close, and an unstoppable force seemed to be drawing us together. _Dangerously_ together.

She opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came. Emma's eyes shifted to my mouth and she bit her lower lip. I gulped again, and felt my own mouth open up. She tilted her head to the side just a little and pressed her lips slowly against mine. Our eyes were locked into each other's, and this time I deepened the kiss. My tongue made its way through her mouth with a ferocity that I had never experienced before her.

I placed one hand on her cheek, and the one that was on her wrist ended up on her lower back. I squeezed firmly and pulled her closer. Our breaths were growing fast and desperate. Both her hands went to the back of my neck, scratching it again, making me gasp.

"Woman, do you wish to make me bleed?" I whispered in her ear, biting the left side of her neck hard. She moaned and tightened her grip on my neck. Emma thrust me on the bed and pinned me down with her legs over my lap. I was holding my weight on both elbows, looking at the blonde stripping her jacket and tank top in front of me. I bit my lower lip at the scene. My eyes were shining with lust and I felt a warmth rush in my chest that I could not identify.

Emma threw her bra out at once, making my eyes glow at the sight of her beautiful breasts. I placed my mouth on her left nipple and started sucking it intently. Emma dug her nails into my back aggressively, making me suck her harder. My left hand reached her right nipple, making circular movements with my fingers.

She started rubbing her crotch against mine, and I could swear I had never been that wet in all my life. She was still wearing pants, so I quickly – and desperately – started to take it off. She helped me out and magicked my own dress out with it, falling back into my lap in no time. Her warmth and arousal made me horny as fuck, and I just wanted to fuck this woman senseless until both our sets of legs could no longer stand.

I went back to sucking her nipples, one at a time, while my left hand reached her crotch over her panties. She let out a moan in pleasure and tilted her head back. I could feel all her lust through the thin fabric. With my right hand, I pulled her closer to me. _She was so wet_. I placed my hand inside of her panties and her breathing got heavier and uneven. My index finger felt her insides, and I fingered her slowly, while biting the sides of her breasts. That would definitely leave a mark, but I did not care.

She was moaning in my ear and rocking against my sole finger. _That was so fucking hot_ that I could not help but moan too. Then, without warning, I removed my finger from her opening. She looked at me puzzled. I smirked and lifted my finger up to my mouth, opening it up and licking the whole finger _slowly_. She exhaled as if she had forgotten to breathe for a second. My hand went back to her clit, making circular movements for a while. She was gasping as I placed two fingers in her opening without warning, speeding up the thrusts. She was moaning more audibly now, and I feared for my back, for she was scratching and pulling at will.

Suddenly, she pushed my shoulders to the bed, placing both her hands on her own breasts, squeezing, rubbing and _teasing the fuck out of me_. She had that malice look all over, and was rocking and rolling around my fingers with her hips, moaning even higher.

"Regina… _More_." She moaned and bit her lip with desire. I placed one more finger inside of her, and she was screaming, now. Her head was tilted back, she placed one hand on my breast, squeezing tightly, while the other remained on hers. Her nipples were incredibly hard, and she was sweating. Damn, _we both were_.

I started moving my own hips against hers in a synchronized movement with my fingers, faster and faster, deeper and harder. In and out, until she was screaming my name. _She was screaming my name,_ and she pulled my body back to hers. There was absolutely no distance between us, as our breasts were rubbing against each other's. She kissed me ferociously as she gave a loud moan against my mouth and came in my still moving fingers.

With every spasm there was a different moan and deep exhale, now against my left ear. If there was something that could turn me on, that was it: moaning and breathing against my ears. It's like she knew it, because she _always_ did that.

When her body finally released the last jolt from the orgasm, she rested her forehead against mine with eyes closed and breathing heavily.

"Regina… That was…" She whispered, placing her hands on the sides of my neck and her thumbs on my jaw. She looked at my mouth and traced it with her right index finger.

She never finished what she was saying. Lust was still all over her face as she bit her lip and moved her right hand down into my left nipple. I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath. She removed my bra unceremoniously and started licking with just the tip of her tongue. Her tongue moved fast against my incredibly hard nipple, making me super wet.

She got on her knees and pulled me into the same position with her. Then, she whispered in my ear "turn your back on me". "What?" "Just do it, Regina." I frowned, but obeyed, and felt her pulling me close. I sat down on the bed, and then I discovered why she asked that. _She suddenly had full reach of my body_.

She placed her hips against my back, and I removed my panties with desperation and need. I sensed her smile and kiss on the back of my neck. Goosebumps. Goosebumps _everywhere_. Her left hand reached my left breast and squeezed it tight, massaging the nipples in circular movements.

Emma kept on kissing the back of my neck, and I closed my eyes shut. Her right hand explored my right breast for a moment, and then started descending slowly to the inside of my thigh. She scratched lightly and bit my neck hard at the same time. I let out a moan and she suppressed a mischievous laugh. She moved her right hand dangerously close to my clit and I could tell she was purposely stalling. She was making me _lose my mind_.

"Emma… Come on…" I practically begged her, biting my lip hard. With my right hand, I took hers upon my clit. The warmth of her hand made my heart race more, and I knew I was going to moan soon.

She just left her hand there for excruciating five seconds, before she slowly slit the lips and found my clit. She was moving up and down _slow_. Somehow, her movements in my left breast were synched with the ones on my clit. She was torturing me. She could only be.

"Emma… You're… E _vil_ " I said with difficulty to keep an even tone. She seemed to have liked it, because she started to speed the movements up considerably. Up and down, back and forth, in and out. She was all over my clit and opening.

I felt like I was close to having an orgasm. Without warning, she stopped all movements and said "lay down. Now." I obeyed promptly, and she went straight to my clit with her mouth. She was doing rapid circles with her tongue, and placed two fingers at once in my opening. I was moaning uncontrollably now. Her left hand reached my right nipple, which was just the cherry at the top of the cake.

She was _all over me_ , and it was hard to tell what feeling was the best. Her fingers inside me, her tongue fiercely licking and sucking my clit or her hand squeezing and massaging my nipple.

Without even realizing or being able to warn her, I came with a powerful moan. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, my heart was faster than it has ever been, and her mouth was _licking and sucking all my cum_. Was it possible to come after coming? Because Emma was just _so good at this_. The final spasm came down and Emma lifted herself up. I was exhausted.

"That was… _Mindblowing_ , Emma." I whispered, for nothing more than a whisper was able to come through my mouth right now. Emma did not say a word, but she laid down on my left side, head over my heart, as if to listen to it. Her left hand was lying timidly against my belly, left thigh folded on my waist.

For some time, the only things we could hear were our own breaths, in and out. Until Emma got up, started to get dressed, and poofed out without saying a single word, or even looking at me.


	4. Chapter 4 - A mystery in the forest

Chapter 4 – A mystery in the forest

[EMMA'S POV]

I had lost track of time. It was very late, already. I poofed home and found Hook sleeping on the couch. There it was, again: the guilt. The tv was on, and it looked like he was waiting for me to come home. I sighed and turned off the tv. I silently moved to the bathroom and decided to take a shower.

As I was undressing, I discovered a little hickey on my left breast. _Regina_. As I analyzed it, I found another one on the right breast. _Perfect_. Now all I had to do was avoid sex with my boyfriend until the hickeys disappeared. Plain simple, when you're dating a freaking _pirate_.

I took probably the quickest shower in history, and went to my room. I picked a pearly silk nightdress and fell in bed as a heavy timber. Hook would forgive me for not waking him up.

Maybe because the shower was so quick – or perhaps it was just my imagination –, I could still _feel_ and _smell_ Regina on me. I rolled in bed and faced the ceiling. I never considered having any thoughts about Regina before. Not in a sexual way. Definitely not in a _romantic_ one.

I searched for my phone, but couldn't find it. _Damn_. Had I left it at Regina's? That was not good. At all. I rolled on the bed for hours before I could finally sleep. And when I did, I dreamed of _her_.

I woke up late. Thankfully, it was my day-off. I looked around and decided to get up. Being a woman sometimes was easier than being a man, I thought. There was no way I would be able to hide such an incredible boner after the savage sexual dream I was having with Regina.

I slowly went to the bathroom, took a pee and brushed my teeth. I looked in the mirror, washed my face and went to the kitchen to fetch myself some breakfast. Hook was sitting at the table. _Guilt_.

"'Morning, love. Sleep well?" He asked, eating some cereals.

"Yeah… Very well." I lied. "You?"

"Would have slept better if I had been in your bed." He winked with a smirk on his face and pulled me over to his lap.

"Well, you seemed so cute sleeping on the couch, I didn't want to wake you up."

"That's all right, Swan. You were probably tired of dealing with the Evil Queen, I bet."

" _Please_ , stop calling her that." I pleaded with annoyance. "But yes, she got me tired." _Hell, she did._

"So what are the plans for today, babe? No more baby-sitting, I guess?" He was hopeful, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. What was going on? It used to be so _good_ being with him. I did impossible things in order to save him, bring him back to me, but now… Now I could not even look at him straight in the eye without feeling remorse or guilt. And it was absolutely not his fault. He was great.

I cleaned my throat, got up and reached for a bowl to place some cereals in. "Well, there are some things I need to do at the station, and yes, I have to check in on Regina again. I left my phone there, anyway." Part of it was true. Most of it was just because I could not stand face him anymore. I needed some time alone to sort this all out. Things were moving so fast with him, and I've always had commitment issues, but now… There was a whole new issue in my hands. Now I was messing up with Regina's already messed up head.

I quickly ate the cereal while Hook was telling me how his day went before coming to my place. I tried hard to keep up with the conversation, asking random things eventually, but my thoughts were getting the most of it. My thoughts about Regina. Lucky for me, Henry called home at that moment. I left the kitchen and went to the bathroom to pick it up.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey, ma. What's up with your phone?

"I think I left it at Regina's"

"Oh… Mom just stopped by."

"She what?"

"Yeah, she said she missed me, and that she was getting better, but… She didn't _look_ better. Is anything going on?"

"Besides Robin's death? Well…" _Yes, I decided to fuck her mind even more by not controlling my hormones_ "no, not really. I guess it just takes time, kid. We should give her some space."

"Yeah… Perhaps we should. Ma?"

"Yes?"

"Can you… Go over tonight again, to make sure she's cool?"

I sighed. "Henry, I'm not sure this is a good idea, I mean…"

" _Please, ma?_ I won't ask you again. I'm just worried."

"Okay, fine! But this is the last time!"

"You're the best, ma. Love you!"

"Love you too."

I wondered if Regina had eaten anything. But since she left the house, it was already a good sign. Right? Maybe she would go to Granny's to eat something, or do something herself. She is a great cook, and her lasagna…

"Love, have you seen my boots?" Hook appeared from behind, startling me.

"No… No, I haven't. Hook, I'm going now, catch you later, okay?"

"Well, but I thought…" Before he could finish, I kissed him lightly and added, "I'll make it up to you, promise!" He smirked and lifted a thumb up approvingly.

Truth be told: I just wanted to get out of there, away from him. I left the house quickly and started walking around town. I had nowhere to go, really. I walked slowly and lost in thought for several minutes. People would pass me by and say hello or wave, and I would wave back. I could barely distinguish their faces for I was so lost in thought. Storybrooke was an incredibly small town, and I found myself standing in front of Regina's house. I stopped there, glued to the spot, not knowing exactly how to proceed.

"I'm not there, you know." I looked behind my right shoulder and saw Regina smiling at me. There were no signs of the Evil Queen in her, so I smiled back. "Yeah, I left my phone there, I was wondering if you had seen it." She thought about it for a second and replied "no, I haven't. But you are welcome to come in and look for it." I smiled timidly at her, and she opened up the door and made way for me to come inside.

I entered the house and she came in after me, closing the door behind us.

"You are welcome to look anywhere, Emma. Just inform me if you can't find it", and with that, she began to go up the stairs to her bedroom. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined. She was being nice, charming and polite. Everything I hadn't been in the last few days. I rolled my eyes and started looking for the damn phone. After a few minutes, I had no luck downstairs. It was time to look upstairs. My heart pumped faster at every step.

"Regina?" I asked, carefully. "It's not downstairs, can I look upstairs?" "Yes! Make yourself at home, I'm just getting changed." I moved about and went to her bedroom in search for the phone. After about thirty seconds, I found it underneath the fancy armchair. I smiled at myself. Regina then entered the room, now in her regular red pencil skirt, black blouse and black jacket. She was stunning. Now that I think of it, she has _always_ been stunning. So why the sudden change?

"You look… Incredible." I gulped. She stared at me and smiled timidly. "Thank you, Ms. Swan. I decided it was time to get myself together a little. Any luck with your phone?" I had spent so long staring at her that I almost forgot to answer the question. "Oh? Yes! Yes, I found it. Thank you very much. So, how are you feeling today?" I bit my lip nervously. "I'm… Better. Fighting the darkness inside inch by inch, I'd say." She smiled nervously, tugging one strap of hair behind her right ear. "Good." We were both staring at anywhere but each other. Some uncomfortable moments passed. Regina shifted her weight from one leg to another. I gulped.

"So…"

"I…" We both said at the same time. We laughed. "Go ahead, say it." I said, grinning. "Oh, please. By all means, Ms. Swan. I'm all ears." Regina had the ability to be very good at words. "So, since I found my phone, I guess I…" She interrupted me "Emma… Can we talk?" That's what I feared. I exhaled slowly before answering "… Yes." Regina seemed relieved and went over to sit on her bed. I followed and sat beside her at a safe distance.

"Emma…" She started, stopping for several seconds. She seemed to be analyzing the impact of each and every word she said. "I think that this… _Thing_ that's been going on with us needs to stop." My heart raced fast and I was afraid she would be able to hear it. She waited expectantly before adding "Well? What do you say?" I thought about it for a second. "You're absolutely right, Regina. It's over. I don't know what happened, I… We just…"

"It's quite all right, Emma. I know it's hard to resist someone like me, but…"

I laughed. "Excuse me?"

"Well, yes. I know I have an amazing body, and…"

I chuckled. "Oh boy, that modesty will be the end of you." Regina frowned.

"Well, as I was saying… I know it was something strictly physical… Right?" She asked rhetorically, but was there hope in her eyes? Could she be after something else?

"Totally. I love Hook, you know. My boyfriend." Regina nodded quietly. A piercing silence fell upon our shoulders. "Well, since that's settled, I think you can stop coming over here every day. See? I feel better now, Ms. Swan. I visited Henry today." She did not seem convincing at all, but I played along. I mean… What else could I do? "Sure. I promised Henry I would stop by today, he would not take 'no' for an answer. You know him." Regina smiled. "That's my boy." We both smiled quietly. "After tonight, we will go back to our former selves, right? Like nothing happened." I said, more to myself than to Regina. "Right."

We were again both staring at the floor. I looked around and only then realized that the window had finally been open after days. "You opened up the window!" I said, brightly. She smiled genuinely back. "Yes. And I haven't had a single drop of alcohol today." Regina said, proudly. I placed my right hand over her left's. After some seconds, I cleared my throat and quickly removed the hand. Regina stood up rapidly and went to sit at the fancy armchair. I wonder if anyone else called it that and smirked.

"I'm proud of you, you know." I said, waking Regina from her daydreams. "I'm proud of you today. Everything you've done… It seems a mile away from yesterday." She smiled.

"Thank you, Emma. It means a lot."

"So, what about the darkness? Is it… _Under control_?"

Regina suddenly seemed extremely uncomfortable, shifted in the armchair and crossed her left leg over her right one. Her hands were firmly clasped together and I could see her white knuckles from the pressure she was applying.

"It is… For now. And right now, that's all I can ask for." Regina said, bitterly. "I… I saw her the other day." Her face was blank and she suddenly shivered. "The first night you came here. I looked in the mirror, and…" Her voice cracked. "It wasn't _me_ I saw. It was _her_. And it scared the shit out of me." Regina crossed her arms across her chest in a defensive pose.

I went over to the armchair and knelt before her, placing both palms over her hands.

"Regina… You're _not_ her anymore. I know you're scared, but you've got people that care for you, that love you. You've got Henry, and… And me." I gulped, and she looked at me in the eye like a wounded animal.

"Thank you, Emma." Regina said, not daring to look at me now. I exhaled deeply and sat back on the bed. "It's really important to have your support." Regina's face was facing the wall, so I couldn't read her expression.

At that moment, I got a text from David and it startled me. I had been on edge the past few days.

" _Emma, there's definitely something odd going on at the Forest. Meet me at the station ASAP."_

"Regina, I have to go… Cop emergency. I'll be back at night, all right?" Regina nodded and I just rushed through the hall downstairs and out of the door. The Sherriff's Station was near Regina's house, so I got there in a heartbeat. Once inside, I looked for David, who had been impatiently pacing around the office.

"Oh, there you are!" He said, coming in my direction.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

"So, you remember how there were reports of weird sightings and something with trees, right?"

"Yes, go on." I frowned, trying to follow. I crossed my arms and waited.

"When was the last time you saw Red?"

I thought about it for a second, but couldn't remember when it had been.

"I don't know… Ever since she left with Dorothy, I guess. Why?"

"I think she might be back and struggling with something."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked interested, sitting down on my chair. David placed pictures on the table and showed me a pattern of claw marks on the trees and paw prints on the ground. He pointed at them in order before addressing "I asked Granny when my suspicions started to grow. According to her, these are werewolf's trails. And I could only think of Ruby, since Granny is fine."

I considered this for a while, before looking at him. "Oh my God. If it is Red, something terrible must have happened." He nodded. "So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"I was thinking about keeping a lookout at the Forest at night. See if we can figure something out. Luckily, we can find her and solve this puzzle."

"It's a good idea, dad. When do you want to do this?"

"I was thinking tonight."

I groaned. "Aw, dad… I promised Henry I would look after Regina this one more night. … And technically this is my day off. Can we do it tomorrow?"

David looked at me with an inquiring and suspicious look. Eventually, he just said, "Fine. But let's hope she doesn't harm anyone. So far, she's been stuck to the woods, but we never know. Should we alert people?"

"No! She's not dangerous. She just needs _help_."

David nodded and started to take the pictures out of the table. Without saying another word, he left the room. I wondered if mom knew. My stomach growled loudly. It was a little after lunchtime, and I could feel the protests coming from my belly. I wondered if Regina had eaten anything. I decided to call her up. She picked up after three dials.

"Hi, Regina. I was wondering if you were hungry…"

"Well, hello, Emma. As a matter of fact, I am."

"Nice! I mean… Okay. Um… Would you like to grab something to eat? At Granny's."

"That would be nice. I'll meet you in ten."

"Great." I smiled. Things seemed to be getting back to normal. Or, at least, we were trying to. My job was to not let the queen back, so I needed this to work.

I left the station and walked slowly through the streets. After a few moments, I walked past Regina's place. I couldn't suppress a smile. A little after I walked by the hospital and took a left turn. Another right and a few more feet, there it was: The diner. I got in and sat at one of the booths on the far end, excitedly waiting for my companion. About 30 seconds later, she arrived. I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Regina walked slowly towards me, unaware of the pitiful and fearful glances people were shooting her. It made me slightly angry but glad, at the same time, because she did not see it. She came in and sat down in front of me.

"Hi." I said, gleefully.

"Hello, Emma." Said Regina, smiling timidly back at me.

At that moment, Granny came over to us and asked for our orders.

"I'll have French fries and a burger, Granny. Oh! And a beer."

"So soon, dear?" She asked, taking notes.

"Yeah… Rough week." I smiled at her.

"And you, Ev… _Regina_?" Regina smiled bitterly at her.

"Um… I'm fine."

"Come on, Regina. You have to eat." I said. Regina let out a heavy sigh and looked at the menu.

"An orange juice. Please." She said, simply. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not hungry, that's all." That was a lie, I could tell. She had been hungry, but seemed to lose her appetite when Granny almost called her the _Evil Queen_.

"Granny…" I asked before she left. "Do you really think Ruby's out there in the woods?" The old woman sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. She could be. Haven't seen her in a while. But the scent… It's definitely hers, but there's _something else._ "

"But the full moon is gone, how do you explain that wolf form lasting for so long?"

"I guess… When you are able to control the wolf, you are also able to let it out whenever you feel like. What's the reason behind this… I wish I knew. I just hope she's ok." With that, Granny left, murmuring to herself.

"What happened?" Regina asked with a worried look upon her face. I explained her what David had told me earlier, the pictures and the signs. Regina frowned. "Something really bad must have happened. Any sign of Dorothy?" I shook my head. There was nothing new to add to the story. "Emma, you should check in on that tonight. I'll be fine." She gave me a reassuring smile.

"No. I promised Henry. I need to do this." At the mention of our son's name, Regina agreed. She didn't look exactly disappointed at me staying.

Granny soon brought our orders and placed them before us. I could tell Regina was uncomfortable with her presence for she stiffened on her seat and was moving her hands frantically on her hair, jaw and elbows. After Granny left, she felt a little more relaxed.

I ate in silence, and Regina took very small sips of her juice, not really interested in the task. I opened up the beer and started drinking it rapidly. Regina looked at me out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing.

After a while, we both got up, left the money on the counter and silently left the diner. It was a two-block walk to her house, but it seemed like it would take _forever_. The silence was painful, and I could not muster anything to lighten our moods.

Regina was carefully looking at any other direction but mine, until she lost her patience after a few feet.

"You know what? This is ridiculous." With a wave of her hand, we were back at her place. Her bedroom. I sighed in relief. "Now, what are we going to do?"

I looked at her incomprehensively. She grinned. "We have a whole day ahead. It's about…" She looked at her watch "3h30 now, and Henry wants you to sleep over. So what are we going to do?"

 _If she knew what I wanted to do…_ I hoped to God she couldn't picture my thoughts right now, and instead, changed the subject. "What do you feel like doing? I mean, this is your house. There must be something interesting here."

Regina smiled and looked at me.


	5. Chapter 5 - Untrustworthy

Chapter 5 – Untrustworthy

[REGINA'S POV]

"We could watch a movie, if that's ok with you."

"Great. What genre?"

"Hmm… I don't know. Any suggestions?"

"Well, we can always check what's online."

I agreed and sat down on bed, leaning against a pillow. I pointed at the empty space beside me and watched as Emma came in slowly, as if she was overly cautious.

"Come on, I won't bite." I said, but regretted the words the moment they left my lips. I gulped and reached for my phone, locating the website I was used to watching movies. Emma sat down beside me, but at a fair distance. After some moments scrolling down the screen without really focusing, I tossed the phone over to Emma.

"It's on you. Pick something good."

Emma rolled her eyes and began her search. She was avid in her task, fully focused. Her head was bending closer to the screen and she was frowning. I couldn't help but look and smile. She was really beautiful.

"Here. This one." She said, making me finally blink. "Black Swan. Have you seen it?" I shook my head. "It's about… Well. Do you trust me?" She asked, turning to look into my eyes. I nodded quietly. Emma started playing the movie.

I could almost touch the tension that was forming between us. We were definitely not okay with each other, but it seemed very important to _fake_. Five minutes into the movie, and the only thing I could pay attention to was at Emma's breathing next to me. I exhaled slowly and watched as she placed the phone between us, in bed.

"What? My arm hurts! You should try holding that for as long as I have." I placed a hand on my forehead, but said nothing. Instead, I just shifted the weight to my left elbow, getting closer to the screen – and to Emma. I could smell her perfume, and it made my heart beat fast. She was very close and warm.

The fatal combination of Emma so next to me was excruciating. I couldn't help but feel guilty. Guilty, because Robin had just died, and I was already fornicating with someone else. Guilty, because she was my son's biological mother. Guilty because I was enjoying that. I came closer to the bed, almost lying completely on my left side. Emma started to lean closer too, leaning on her right elbow. Our arms were touching slightly, and our foreheads were nearly touching one another. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, hoping she wouldn't notice the physical impact she seemed to have on me.

I sensed Emma looking at me and gulped. _I'm not gonna look. I'm not. I can't look. I'm not… Curse those green eyes._ I looked at her beautiful green orbs staring intensely at me. Our faces were about one inch apart, my heart started beating faster, and her breathing was uneven. I couldn't help but look at her beautiful and perfect lips. Without really thinking, I placed my right hand on her left cheek, and she let out a muffled sigh. Our foreheads met, our noses touching slightly. Emma was tilting her head, lips parted when her phone rang, making her jump. It was Mary Margaret. I placed my head on the mattress where Emma had previously been.

"M-mom?" She said, sitting straight, avoiding to look at me. "Well, we don't know yet." Some seconds passed before her answer "No, I won't allow this, mom! What about Neal?" Some more seconds later. "You're a stubborn ass, you know that? Meet you in 10." She hung up.

"Regina, I… I have to go." She looked back at me and touched my shoulder gently. I looked at her in return. "My mom found out about Red and wants to come along. She's her best friend, so…" Emma sighed. "Anyway, I'll come back after we solve this Ruby issue."

"I'm coming with you." Emma opened and closed her mouth a few times before saying anything. She looked overly cautious.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh yeah? Why not?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"It could get… _Dangerous_." Emma shrieked and looked away from me. I sat down on the bed with a defiant look.

"Dangerous _to whom_?"

The answer never came. For a while, we were just staring into each other's eyes intently. Emma seemed to be going through a harsh battle inside of her as her next words came.

"Fine."

She then turned her back on me and quickly made her way out of the room and down the stairs. I followed quietly behind her, closed the door behind us. Emma seemed to remember not driving over to the mansion and exhaled utterly frustrated. "Damn it."

"We can just poof ourselves over there, Emma…"

"Yeah, I know." She said, interrupting me. She considered this for a second and said. "So, my parents want to split up and search for Ruby, if she's really there, we'll find her. But you're coming with me." I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

"Ms. Swan, what are you not telling me?"

"Nothing! I just don't want you to be in danger…"

"That's nonsense. I'm a _witch_ , Emma. I have magic as well as you do."

Emma did not answer, but would not change her mind either. I was starting to suspect what this was all about. Without a further word, Emma poofed us to a location right in front of the forest. She looked at me and nodded quietly, signaling us to move. I obeyed and soon we were a few feet into the woods.

We moved quietly and slowly for some minutes before Emma noticed the first paw print on the ground.

"It looks fresh." I looked around. There were also some clawed trees around, and I pointed them out to Emma. She took the lead and started to follow the trail left behind an angry wolf. As we moved further into the forest, Emma's body seemed to tense up with expectation. Her steps were more careful and any different noise startled her. I reached out to her left hand and squeezed it, reassuringly. She exhaled heavily, but seemed a bit less tense. She did not look at me, but did not let go of my hand either.

"What was that?!" She whispered at a sound of branches being torn nearby. I conjured up a fireball but quickly dissolved it when the likes of Snow and Charming appeared, glowing in the night.

"Oh, hi." Snow said, looking puzzled at me, then at our joined hands and finally at Emma, who quickly let go of my hand and looked away. I looked at her, and then at David, who seemed clueless at what had transpired. _As usual_. I smiled to myself.

"Hello, Snow. Charming." I said, nodding at them both as a greeting.

"Regina." Charming said, and Snow only nodded back.

"So…" Emma began, clearly uncomfortable at the awkward situation. "Have you discovered anything? We've been following a trail that led…"

"Here." Snow and Charming said at the same time.

We all looked around as if expecting something to just jump at us, but that never happened. Snow sighed frustrated. Ruby was, after all, her best friend. And there was definitely something wrong going on, she just didn't know what it was, or where her friend was, for that matter.

I couldn't help but sympathize with the woman. I reached out and placed a hand on Snow's shoulder, reassuringly.

"We are going to find her, Snow." I smiled timidly at her, and she seemed to lighten her mood a little and smiled back at me. At that exact moment, something dragged me off the ground and I felt the wind rushing. Then, I hit a trunk with my back. _I had been flying over_. I fell face first on the floor and just stayed there for a second. When I was able to breathe again, I sat down and looked around. That's when I saw it. The angry wolf running towards Emma, now. Fear took me with all its might. I stood up fast and started to walk into their direction. I could not run yet, for my back hurt like hell, and my lungs felt like water was flooding them.

"Hey, wolfie!" I shouted, and she looked at me, growling dangerously. The wolf took slow steps towards me, but Snow entered in front of her.

"Red! Red, it's me… Snow. Your friend!" But it was to no use. She looked fiercely at Snow, showing all possible teeth at her, before trying to bite her leg. Snow managed to jump and roll to the side, and ran closer to David. Emma conjured up a fireball and was approaching the wolf cautiously, but resolved. I couldn't help but think how fierce and resolute she looked, and smiled.

Ruby was now running towards Emma with all her might, and I could tell no one wanted to hurt the wolf, but we were running out of options quickly. I looked at Snow, and she was now unfolding a red hooded cloak and positioning herself behind Red, so she wouldn't see what her plan was. _Brilliant_.

I managed to position myself on the right side of the struggle, before either Emma or Ruby could harm each other accidentally. They both looked at me as I approached with arms outstretched and slow and careful steps.

"Red… It's okay. We don't want to hurt you. If that's what you want, we will leave you be. I know you don't really want to hurt anyone. You could have bitten me, but you didn't. You could have stormed the town, but you haven't. But we just want to help. We're your friends."

The wolf seemed to think for a while, eyes gleaming with tears as she looked intently at me. Snow reached her from behind and placed the cloak around her back in a fast move. The wolf let out a loud cry before turning into her human shape again. Ruby was curled up on the floor, the cloak being the only article of clothing her body possessed. She was sobbing and shaking miserably, as Snow reached her, lifted her up and started to walk with one arm over her friend's shoulder. Ruby looked sadly at me before walking past where Emma and I were, and Snow mouthed a "thank you" before leaving the place, with David following behind them.

Emma looked at me and I could not make out what her eyes were trying to tell me. She then came closer and looked all over me for bruises.

"Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

"No, I… My back hurts, but I'll live." I shrugged. "I've been through worse things than that, you know." I smiled at her, and she let out a sad smile. I frowned. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

Emma sighed and poofed us to the mansion again. This time, we were both sitting down on the living room couch. I magicked the lights on and Emma got startled.

"Regina! Your face…" She said, coming closer to my face to analyze a small cut upon my forehead. I had not noticed it, probably because of the pain I felt on my back. Emma placed her hand gently over the cut and used her light magic to heal the cut in just a few seconds. She then took the time to remove the band-aid on my chin and heal that too.

"How's your back?" She asked with worry on her eyes.

"Well, I can breathe normally now… It hurts, but…" I was interrupted by Emma magicking my coat and red blouse away, leaving me with just my skirt and bra on. "Emma, what the hell…" Emma interrupted me again and turned my body around with my back to her with strong hands. She looked and placed her fingers gently down my spine, as if he was searching for something.

"I think you should go to the hospital. There are some purple marks on your ribs…" She said as she touched the right side of my ribcage, and there they were: the goosebumps. She realized that and quickly took her hands off of me and magicked my clothes back on. We were both staring at the ground for some time, until I cleared my throat.

"So, Ms. Swan… I'm off to bed now. Will you stay over? You can sleep on the guest room…"

"No! I mean, yes, I will stay, but there's no way I'm leaving your butt… _Side_. I meant side." Emma sighed. "God. I'm worried about you, and if something happens with you and I'm not there to help… I just can't."

"Yes, always the Savior." I said, rolling my eyes. Emma did the same, narrowing her own.

"If you say so. But I promised the kid I would, so… Here I am."

I gave up, gestured her to go up the stairs, and followed behind. We made our way silently. Even as we went to the bathroom to change into pajamas and to brush our teeth, no word was pronounced by either of us. I laid down on the right side of the bed first, feeling a stinging pain on my back. I decided to lay down on my left side, facing Emma, who was now laying down on bed. She looked at me in the eyes and blinked twice.

"Good night, Emma." I said, feeling my body getting heavier. I closed my eyes and could barely listen to the "good night, Regina", before I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 - Light and dark

(Author's Note: Got my first review! Thank you so much for taking the time and commenting on this. It's my first time writing here, and I'm really excited! Also, I'd like to read your thoughts about an Evil Queen return. Yes? No? Maybe? Thank you all for the views, follows and favorites 3)

Chapter 6 – Light and dark

[EMMA'S POV]

It had been a very intense day, in many different ways. Regina had surprised me and definitely lightened my parents' suspicions that she would fireball the first minimal threat that crossed her way. In fact, _I_ was the one who conjured up the fireball, and _she_ solved the problem without even using magic. She just… _Talked_. And it was exactly what Ruby needed.

Now, lying in bed with her sober, asleep and safe, I started to put things into perspective. All this time I thought I was supposed to save her, protect Storybrooke from what she might do if she ever went back to being evil… _I was so wrong_. Yes, she was hurt. She could still feel and see the Evil Queen in her. I could, too. But those were flashes. Hushed moments that never evolved into anything other than a few seconds. Truth is… In that forest, with such a real threat like it had been, Regina was the one who saved us all.

I sighed and looked at the woman sleeping beside me. She looked better than she had in the last few days. She had not drunk all day long, and seemed to not need to. _Well, at least she hasn't turned into an alcoholic_. I looked up at the ceiling, lost in my own thoughts. All of the sudden, Regina started mumbling inaudible words. At first, I thought she was having a nightmare, but I was wrong.

"Emma…" She said, still asleep. I turned my head to look at her, my back still on the mattress. Without warning, Regina placed her right hand around my stomach, nuzzling my neck. I gulped and felt goosebumps all over my body. Her right leg lazily spread around my waist and legs, and she seemed to be content with this new position. Her breathing got heavier and she stopped moving.

I sighed deeply, and couldn't help feeling guilty for ever doubting her. Regina had, indeed, come a long way. I had been part of this process. _I should know better_. I turned around to face her, her hands falling on my hips, our legs tangled up together. It felt _so good_ being with her like this, and I allowed myself to feel privileged and happy, just for this moment, before sanity would strike me in the face again.

I cannot tell how long I kept just staring at Regina sleeping so close to me, before I finally managed to sleep. This one time, I did not flee.

-x-

It was early morning when we both woke up. Regina moaned something as she tried to shift in bed and something probably hurt. I opened my eyes lazily and watched as her eyes slowly opened up, staring at my own.

"Oh, hello." She said, smiling timidly at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi. Did you sleep well?" Regina nodded almost like a kid. My smile widened. She looked very cute when she was still a bit sleepy, and I couldn't _not_ be affected by that.

"What about you, Ms. Swan? I noticed you stayed…" Her eyes were shining brightly at mine, and I gulped.

"M-me too… How's your back?"

"Still hurts a little, but it'll pass. Would you like some coffee?" She asked, starting to sit on the bed. It clearly was painful for her to move her right side, but she didn't complain. I wondered why she wouldn't see a doctor, but never asked.

"Yes, it'd be great, actually." I stood up quickly and went to the other side of bed, "here, let me help you" I offered my arms and pulled her up gently. She was lighter than I had thought, and our bodies collided softly. Her lips brushed mine accidentally, and we found ourselves both gasping and not moving away. I looked at her lips and nervously bit my lower lip. _We were just so close…_ Her brown eyes drifted from my eyes to my lips as well, tilting her head to the side. Our intentions were clear. My heart was pumping fast, I was afraid she would be able to tell by juts _looking_. Her warm breath was mixing with my own, her hands moving from my arms to my waist. I cupped her face and pulled her closer. Our lips touched smoothly for what felt like eternity. I leaned my forehead against hers and looked into her eyes.

Regina was staring at me. Her pupils were dilated, and she was having a hard time controlling her breathing. _That's both of us_ , I thought. I moved in closer to kiss her again. Her tongue touched my lips and I allowed it through. Our tongues danced together in a slow rhythm first, accelerating with our hearts. I pressed my body closer to hers. Regina's hands moved from my waist to my lower back, scratching and squeezing at will. My right hand was pulling her neck closer while my left reached her breast over the pajama shirt. Her breathing got heavier with the touch and she stopped the kiss abruptly to look at me.

There was something different in her eyes… Was it lust? She made me stop thinking immediately as she placed her mouth on my neck and started to lick and bite from the bottom to the jaw line, reaching my earlobe. I felt the goosebumps and instantly got wet and hot for her. Regina was now exhaling in my ear, still nibbling my earlobe. I scratched her back hard with both hands pulling her body closer to mine – if it was even possible.

"Regina…" I whispered as her left hand slowly made way down my _unfortunately_ still clothed stomach, then bellybutton, and finally, the hem of my pajama pants. I cupped her breasts and squeezed them tightly as her hand moved to the inside of my panties and into my _so incredibly wet_ opening. One finger thrust inside slowly, and I watched as she removed it quickly and placed her wet finger into my mouth. Our eyes never left each other's as I sucked it slowly, biting the tip at the end, making her eyes flash with desire and lust. I felt my body fall on the bed quickly. Regina had thrown me and was now straddling me. Her mouth found my neck again, nibbling and licking my pulse point, making all my body twitch with lust.

Then, all of the sudden, my phone rang. Regina ignored it at first, but I knew I could be something important. I was the sheriff, after all.

"Regina… I have to take it." She grumbled but respected that, and moved away so I could stand up. I watched as she left the bed and mouthed "coffee" at my direction when I picked up. It was my mom. _Great timing once again, mom!_

"Hey, mom."

"Emma, good morning. Ruby is still asleep, but she'll wake up soon, and… We need to talk to her, find out what happened. Can you guys come over?"

"Guys? You mean…"

"Yeah, Regina too."

I couldn't help but smile at that. This meant a lot, coming from Snow White. It meant all the mistrust she had towards Regina had vanished since the events from last night.

"I'll talk to her and go over as soon as I can."

I hung up and went downstairs to find Regina in the kitchen. Not only had she made coffee, but she was making pancakes now. And it smelled delicious. I sat down on a chair and she smiled at me, handing me a cup of coffee. I started drinking it slowly, feeling wide-awake in instants. Soon enough Regina handed me a plate of pancakes and set one for herself.

"So, my mom wants us to come over to talk to Ruby." I said, eating a mouthful of pancakes.

"Oh. You mean… She wants me to go as well?" Regina asked, surprised.

"Yes." I shrugged.

Regina nodded silently and finished her breakfast not really looking at me, but also not able to restrain a smirk. I smiled. After a while, Regina washed the dishes and I ran upstairs to brush my teeth and change my clothes. Regina soon did the same, and we both left the house not long after that. My parents' apartment was not far from Regina's. _Well, actually, nothing in Storybrooke really was_. We were walking slowly, not saying anything, but saying something was not really necessary right now.

Soon enough we arrived at our destination, knocking on the door. My mother quickly opened up the door making way for us to come in, and we sat down by the wooden table. She told us that Ruby hadn't woken up yet, and David was now at the station. That's when I realized what time it was – nearly 09h30am.

My mother looked extremely worried and tired. There were dark circles under her eyes indicating lack of sleep. She sat down at the table with us and was staring at nothing specifically when we heard noises coming from the bedroom, indicating a now awake Ruby. My mom was moving frantically at the table, unsure as how to proceed. I placed a hand over hers and smiled. She exhaled deeply and smiled back at me.

A very untidy, scratched all over and exhausted Ruby appeared in the threshold, scratching her eyes. She collapsed on the table with us and murmured "coffee" at no one in particular. Mom quickly grabbed a cup, filled it with dark coffee and handed it to her friend.

Nobody spoke at first. Ruby was staring at the distance, lost in thought, and I could tell she was feeling remorseful. I looked at Regina and my mom, and had an idea.

"Mom, why don't we go for a walk? Just the two of us."

"But…" She looked at me but I quickly interrupted her protests.

" _Please_ , mom. It'll be good for you."

She didn't know what my plan was, but trusted me enough to follow my lead on this. Ruby still hadn't said anything, but Regina seemed to understand it and waved us goodbye when we left.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

Emma and Snow left the apartment quickly and quietly. At first, neither Ruby nor I spoke, and I did not really know how to begin, and what exactly to say. I did my best to not make her uncomfortable in any way, and was a little surprised when she started speaking spontaneously.

"How do you do it, Regina?" She looked at me with pleading eyes. I frowned, confused.

"Do what exactly, dear?" I asked her politely. She sighed and couldn't keep a tear from falling down her cheek.

"It's just… You've not been exactly the best person in the world… No offense."

"None taken."

"I mean, I know there's this darkness in you that you still possess to this day, but… How do you manage to not let it rule you?"

"Well… You got me there. I… I think it's because even being dark, I was able to find some light through everything. And it has changed me. I won't lie to you and say that now I'm super immaculate and do not think horrible things at times. Like when Robin died…"

Ruby's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, well. Hades killed Robin, for that matter. He died protecting me."

"My God, Regina…"

"… And I felt so… _Angry_. Especially after we got back. I saw Hook alive and well, with Emma and the others, and it crushed me. I thought it was the end of Regina Mills, and the return of the Evil Queen for good. It hasn't been easy, you know." I shifted uncomfortably on the chair and pulled a strand of hair behind my right ear. "She is still in me. She is still _me_. But she is not everything that I am. I am also Regina Mills. I thought about separating myself from her, but now… Now I know I would not grow up to be the person I am if it wasn't for her. I realized that yesterday, when I saw you." Ruby looked inquisitively at me, and I smiled. "My first reaction would be to cast a fireball straight to your beating heart, and yet… I just _talked_ to you. The thing is… The darkness is still here." I said, pointing at my heart. "It will always be here. But it is nothing more than thoughts now. And I get to choose whether to act on them or not." I smiled kindly at her. "Now tell me, dear… What happened?"

Red took a long deep breath, not fighting back her tears anymore, before starting.

"So, Dorothy and I… It's over."

"What? Why?!"

"I might have overreacted a little, during an argument about my stupid jealousy… And I might have let the wolf speak louder, and… Well. Things did not turn out to be okay. I couldn't bear it, so I just ran. In wolf form and all." She shivered.

"So you didn't talk to her after all that?"

"No…" She looked at the floor. "I just came here and was totally losing it, you know. I remained as a wolf ever since. It's been around two weeks now. At first, I just came closer to the forest and was only scratching my own body…" Ruby said, pointing at her freshly scarred skin. "But it wasn't enough after a while. So I started taking it on the trees and other animals…" She gulped. "at least, something inside me kept me from going to town, to hurting people. I couldn't see a way out of it, you know. It was all my fault. And I couldn't bear it. I can't…" Her voice cracked at the end and some fresh tears fell down. She quickly wiped them out, trying to not look so defeated. I cupped her hands and she looked at me. I was smiling gently at her.

"It's not about not making mistakes, Ms. Lucas. It's about fixing them. Nobody is perfect. Not even the Charmings." We both chuckled. "But all we can do is show the people we love that we love them back, and that should be enough to heal all things."

Ruby was now smiling and crying at the same time, and she started to chuckle and I soon joined her.

"To think I would be taking advice from the Evil Queen and hell… Good advice!"

"Well… How about good advice from a friend?"

She smiled at me and squeezed my hands.

"Good advice from a friend… I can live with that. Thank you, Regina."

"You are most welcome, Ms. Lucas. So, what do you plan on doing now?"

"I guess… I have an apology to make."

We smiled at each other, and heard the door open. Snow raced past the door and hugged us both tightly, making us laugh. Emma leaned on the threshold, smiling with her arms crossed. She nodded approvingly at me, and I smiled back at her.

-x-

A while after much hugging and crying, Snow and Emma confided on us that they had been watching the whole exchange through a mirror magically produced by Emma, who was now blushing at being caught. It was something Snow always did, even with the best intentions: She always spilled everything out.

Emma at first seemed worried, but relaxed as soon as I told her it was fine. And it really was _fine_. We spent a great deal of time looking at each other when we thought the other wasn't looking, and we got caught, sometimes. We blushed, but soon restarted the whole thing. We spent the rest of the morning and lunchtime with Mary Margaret and Ruby, who was now feeling much better.

They both prepared us all some lunch while Emma and I were sitting at the table. They two women sat with us serving us lunch, and we began to eat soon.

"So, Emma… You must be thrilled that Hook made it." Ruby said, while Emma started coughing hard.

"Oh, yes… So thrilled. I nearly died myself now." Emma lied, faking a smile. Ruby seemed to buy it, but Snow looked suspiciously at her daughter.

"So, how's Hook lately, Emma? You haven't been talking much about him…" Mary Margaret teased, narrowing her eyes.

"He's… Great! I've been a little busy these days with work, and…" She looked at me but quickly looked away, "Savior duty, you know. My schedule is a bit tight right now."

 _Savior duty. What on Earth was that supposed to mean? Did it have anything to do with me? With why people seemed to not trust me anymore all of the sudden? Did she do all that because the people were… Afraid?_ I gulped.

I had barely finished my meal when I felt a lump down my throat. I quickly stood up and looked at the three women staring back at me.

"I forgot about an appointment at… The town hall. Mayoral duty." I lied. "Thank you all for this pleasant morning and this wonderful lunch." I smiled politely at Mary Margaret and Ruby, avoiding Emma's eyes purposely. "I hope you have a great day." I said, and heard Snow and Ruby say their goodbyes.

"Regina!" Emma's voice resonated painfully through my chest, but I didn't turn back. "Wait!"

As soon as I closed the door behind me, I poofed to the office. I informed the secretary that I did not want to be disturbed and noticed the excessive amount of paperwork over the desk. I sighed, but was somehow relieved that I would not need to think what happened through until nightfall.


	7. Chapter 7 - Turning tables

Author's note: I really appreciated the ideas! It's very good and important for me to know what you guys think and feel. I have up to chapter 10 written in a very specific way, but I'll apply some of the ideas on the next ones. Also: Chapters 8-10 are very dramatic, intense and full of plot twists. My favorites so far. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7 – Turning tables

[EMMA'S POV]

By the time I reached the door, Regina was gone. I felt utterly frustrated at that. If I knew the brunette, _and I truly did_ , I'd say she figured out the catch in all that happened. And she had all the right to react the way she did. I slammed the door behind me, and my mom seemed to notice.

"Whoa, hey there! No need to take it out on the door."

"I know… I'm sorry."

"Hey girls, I'm off to bed again, if you don't mind, I'm a little…" Ruby yawned "… Exhausted." She smiled and left the room, heading towards the bed. We heard a small thump that indicated she was already in bed, and snoring soon filled the room.

"She's always been a heavy sleeper." Mom said, chuckling. Then, she looked with a grimace at me. "Emma, I think we need to talk."

"I was expecting that would happen soon." I sighed. "Can we do it somewhere else?" She nodded and I poofed us to Granny's. We sat down at the farthest booth available. There were about three people in there besides us, so it was okay to talk.

Granny came over to take our orders. I ordered a beer, and mom ordered a hot cocoa. I exhaled deeply before starting to say anything.

"So… I think Regina is upset."

"No shit!"

"Mom!" I yelled, reproachful.

"Anyone in a mile's radius could tell that, Emma. What I really want to know is… What is going on between the two of you?"

"What do you mean? There's nothing -"

"Yeah, sure. Like I didn't see you holding hands in the woods last night. And your constantly staring at each other today. Somehow you two are… _Different_."

"Different how?" I asked, frowning.

"If I can be completely honest with you, you two seem to be _flirting_."

I burst out laughing.

"That's just… Absurd!"

"Is it, now? So why did you rush when she left earlier? Why are you so worried? You just had one job, Emma. To make sure she wouldn't go back to being evil. To _save_ her, and the town. And now…"

"Now what?! Nothing's changed! And you heard it for yourself, she is as good as it gets."

"… And there's the Hook thing."

"Oh, God. Here we go."

"He just came back for you, back to life… And you barely even mention him anymore."

I was about to start protesting again when she interrupted me, eyes full of worry and love.

"Emma, honey… Please. Just tell me the truth. I know Regina better than anyone alive, probably. We go a long way." I sighed.

"So, I may or may not have had a stupid idea while I was over at her place…"

"Go on." She encouraged me.

"… It was right in the beginning. She seemed lost, and totally wasted… Did you know she had been drinking her ass out for 3 whole days?! Well, so I gave her a shower, and… And…" I blushed uncontrollably.

"And…?"

"God, you're so pushy! She was very _cold_ , you know. Hypothermia and shit. Well, I don't know, somehow I thought that if she _felt_ something, she wouldn't succumb into the darkness anymore. I felt… Pressured." I felt a lump on my throat and gulped. "Everybody wanted me to fix this, to be their Savior again, and there she was. All vulnerable, drinking, having nightmares and all, and I just did something horrible, I…"

"What did you do, Emma?" She asked kindly.

"I… I had sex with her." A single tear escaped my eyes down my left cheek. "And not just once."

Mary Margaret opened her mouth in shock. I was about to have a panic attack.

"At first, I did it because of _everyone_ … Because I am the Savior! I needed to protect people, and…" I couldn't think straight. "But the other times, we… I… _God_. I feel so guilty. I don't know what to do, mom." My voice cracked. "I love Hook, but I can't stand looking at him anymore, not with what I've done. And Regina… She doesn't deserve this. Not after Robin."

Granny placed our drinks on the table and left without saying anything. I took a long sip at the beer and mom gently placed a hand over mine.

"It's okay, honey. It's okay." She smiled weakly at me.

"Mom… What do I do?" My eyes were gleaming with unshed tears.

"What do you feel for her, honey?" She asked me cautiously.

"Feel?! I don't…"

"Emma… Please. There is _something_ going on. I can tell. Even _Ruby_ could tell."

"W-what…"

"That's why she jumped on Regina." She sighed and let go of my hand, looking out the window. "She told me before she passed out in our bed that she had seen you two holding hands from up the tree she was on, and that you quickly took your hands off when you realized I had seen it. It angered Ruby, and now I know why… She thought you two were having something, and that something had ruined it. Just like she messed up, I imagine. And she couldn't help what came afterwards. It all makes sense in my head now."

We stood in silence for some time, and I was drinking the beer rapidly. Soon enough I ordered another one, causing my mom to stir in her spot.

"You know… You have to figure it out soon. Regina doesn't deserve having her heart broken again. Specially now." I sighed and let out another tear.

"I know, mom. I think I might be… _Feeling something_ for her."

"What will you do, then?"

I stared out the window. There was only one thing I could do. _I needed to_.

-x-

I went to the station and found my dad lazily sitting on the table.

"Emma! How's Ruby?"

I sat down beside him and sighed.

"She's just… Fine."

He sniffed me and asked "what's wrong? What had you drinking in the afternoon?"

I considered it for a moment before truly answering him.

"I have to break up with Hook."

"Wait, what?! But you just got him back!"  
"I know!" I said, completely frustrated. I got up and started pacing around impatiently. "It's just… I don't know." I lifted both hands up in desperation.

"Okay, Emma. Calm down and tell me what happened. Because _something_ must have happened." I smiled. I really loved my dad, but he was constantly unaware of whatever was going on around him. And in this particular situation, even Ruby knew there was something going on between me and Regina.

"Dad… I love Hook. I really do. But some… _Things_ have happened, and I'm not sure it would be a good idea to keep this relationship going. I'm feeling… _Confused_."

"Who's confused?" A voice behind us said. We both turned around and saw Hook walk into the room. He didn't look as happy as usual, which made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Hook… Can we talk?" It was now or never.

"Absolutely, love."

"… In private?" I said, looking at my dad. I bit my lip nervously, and it took him a second to understand.

"Oh, yes! Sure. I'll leave you two be. I'm just… Gonna…" He left the room without completing his sentence. Lucky for us, he closed the door behind him, allowing us some privacy.

I sat down on the table, and Hook took the chair in front of it. It was very hard doing this. We have had amazing and touching moments. And I loved him. I just wasn't sure I was _in love_ with him anymore. There was just too much going on in my mind right now.

"Love?" Hook said, looking at me. His eyes seemed to plead for mercy. I felt a lump on my throat and gulped painfully. I looked down at the table.

"Hook. I don't know how to say this properly, but I… I think I need a break." He did not say anything for an excruciating 30 seconds. He looked deeply into my eyes. I desperately needed him to say _something_ , to yell at me, do anything.

"Who's he?" He asked in a low voice.

"He? There's no 'he', Killian." _Which wasn't technically a lie._

"Then what's wrong? Why are you doing this?" He seemed too calm for this.

"Because…" _Yeah. Why was I doing this?_

"Yes?" Hook said, after I didn't finish.

"Because… I… I don't know what I feel anymore. I love you. You know that, but I…" I looked at him hoping that he would understand. He seemed inflexible and angry. He never stopped looking at me in the eyes. "Please, just don't make this so hard on me, Killian. I need some time to think. All this was… _Too much_ for me."

"What did she do to you?"

"Wh-"

"Just don't. The Evil Queen. Did she take your heart out? She doesn't want to see you happy anymore, because she never will be?!" Killian stood up now, pacing around aggressively. "Was it a curse? A potion? A charm? JUST TELL ME!" He shook my shoulders with some urgency.

"No! She didn't do anything!" I said, taking his hands off me at once.

"Then how is this even possible?! Huh? We were just fine before you went over her place for the first time, and then you started disappearing on me." His voice sounded hurt. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. "You've been avoiding me, Emma. Don't pretend you haven't, love."

"Killian, please…" My voice was low and weak. "I just need some time…"

With that, he left the room and slammed the door shut. I finally shed a tear and felt it flow down my chin.

 _One down, one to go._

[REGINA'S POV]

The paperwork definitely got me busy throughout the day. Since I hadn't been going to work in a regular basis now, there was just so much to do in very little time. I stretched my arms and looked at the watch. It was already half past nine at night. I yawned and opted to continue with the paperwork on the following morning.

Everyone at the town hall had already left, so I closed everything up quickly and started to walk home. I had poofed everywhere so much these days that I actually missed driving. I also missed Henry a lot. I would ask him in the morning if he could spend a few days with me, now that things seemed _easier_ , somehow.

Walking in the night was nice. The cool breeze made me feel alive and refreshed. The moon was shining bright upon me, lighting the way. My ribs and back did not hurt that much anymore, there was a slight discomfort, which turned out to be a relief. As I was getting closer to the mansion, the slim shape of a woman appeared. _Emma_. I sighed as my heart started to race.

It was only when we were in front of one another that Emma spoke.

"Hi."

"Hello, Ms. Swan." An uncomfortable silence took over for a while.

"May I come in?"

"It's very late now, don't you think?"

"Yes, but… _We need to talk_."

"Can't it be tomorrow? I'm really tired, and…"

"Regina… _Please_. It won't take long."

I nodded quietly, opened up the door and made way for her to enter first. After we were both inside, I closed the door behind us and made way to my study. It was the first time since everything had started that we did not go straight to my bedroom. She did not complain or say anything about it; instead, she kept following me without saying a word.

I placed two glasses on the desk and conjured up a whisky bottle. I looked at her before pouring her the liquor, and she nodded. She took one glass, both of us still standing, right in front of one another.

"So, what is it that couldn't wait until tomorrow?" I asked, taking a sip at the liquid. Emma drank everything up in one sip, and reached the bottle to pour herself some more. I watched the process quietly, intrigued by how the tables have turned. I leaned against the desk and crossed one arm over the one holding the glass.

"I can't do this anymore." I looked down and then at her, nodding slowly.

"All right, this _what_ , exactly?"

"God! Why is it so hard for you guys to understand?!"

"Guys? What's going on, Ms. Swan?" I looked at her, now completely not following. Emma sighed in frustration before she continued.

"I talked to Killian today. We're on a break."

I looked at Emma in the eyes, taking a long sip of my own drink.

"… And you're breaking up with me." I said. Emma nodded, not meeting my eyes. Instead, she finished another glass and quickly filled it up again. I took another sip and also filled it up.

"It's for the better."

"May I ask you something?"

"Yeah." Emma shrugged.

"Why did you ask him for a break, then?"

"Because all this… Got me _confused_. I just, I can't… Argh! I can't even explain that properly without stammering." Emma ran her hand through her hair. I squeezed her left arm with a kind and true smile.

"It's all right, Emma. I know you only did it because the people were afraid of me. I can't say I didn't feel used and now I'm being discarded, but… I understand." I turned my back on her, taking another long sip.

"Wait, is that what you think? That I was _using_ you?!"

"You made yourself very clear today, _Savior_."

"That's not true! I mean… Part of it is, I can't deny it. The reason I started it was to make you feel something, to protect everyone who was counting on me, but then… That's not the reason why I kept doing it." I turned around and looked back at her, placing the now empty glass on the desk.

"And why did you keep doing it, then?"

"That's the point. _I don't know_. I just… We… There's something about us that I can't really…" I came closer to her, our faces inches apart. "Control." The last word came out as a whisper.

"Do you wish to control it, Emma?" I asked, staring deeply into her eyes. She opened her mouth to answer, but no words left her mouth. Her eyes drifted from my eyes to my mouth, and she bit her lower lip.

By impulse or will, she came closer to my body. Our breaths mingled together. Emma pushed me with her hips against the desk and placed her glass on top of it, our noses now touching. Her arms reached my waist and she squeezed it with trembling hands. Her voice came in a slow and urgent whisper against my half-open mouth.

"This is me _trying_ to control it, Regina." She bit her lips again, leaning her forehead against mine. I closed my eyes.

"You're right, this needs to stop." I said in a low voice, still not opening my eyes. Emma cupped my face and kissed my forehead, before she poofed out of my house.

I sighed and sat down on the table. I looked around, drinking another sip of my drink. I understood her, after all. She had all those commitment issues and she still had Hook… She loved him. Just like I loved Robin. I still felt guilty, after all. In the end, it was hard on both of us. Not to mention Henry… I couldn't imagine what was going on in his mind right now, seeing both his moms crumble – without telling him why. But maybe… Just _maybe_ , all this situation had already been on my mind, even before Robin died. _Maybe_ I already had a crush on Emma back then, but accepting it would make it _real_. Reality sometimes can be as harmful as denial.

I walked to the bedroom in very slow steps, taking in all the thoughts and realizations at once. As I laid down on bed and looked up, I made up my mind. It was time for me to start dealing with it, one way or another, and I was definitely going to try.


	8. Chapter 8 - Feelings

Chapter 8 – Feelings

[REGINA'S POV]

I woke up early in the morning, like I was used to, before _everything_ happened. The bed now felt immensely bigger without Emma to share it with. I got up quickly, took a cold shower and went downstairs to make some coffee. I texted Henry while I drank a cup of coffee (black), asking him to come over after school. He seemed very excited to come home, and I missed him a lot.

I woke up with a different kind of feeling. I decided to not use magic for a whole day and do things manually. In no time, I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, combed my hair and put on a light gray pencil dress with a matching blazer.

It took me some time to finally find the car keys – it had been a while since I last drove –, but driving itself was a different affair. By the moment I sat down on the Mercedes, I felt a rush of happiness run through my veins. I smiled and turned on the engine, driving at a slow pace towards the town hall.

After a few minutes, I parked the car and walked into the building I learned to love and cherish. I smiled and nodded at everyone who directed their eyes in my direction, lightening some moods and startling others. I smiled to myself. People could be very volatile, but I would not let that ruin my day.

A remaining pile of paperwork seemed to grow bigger since the night before. I stretched my arms and decided to start with that ASAP. I only realized that lunchtime had long passed when my stomach protested. I looked at the watch, it marked 5 o'clock. I stretched a few times and decided to call it a day. I texted Henry, and he let me know he already was at the Mansion. I smiled at myself and quickly drove home.

I parked the car and walked towards the front door when I heard the knob and a running Henry hug me tight. I let out a toothy smile and hugged him back, pulling him close. We remained like that for what could easily be minutes, and we only broke contact when Henry started to speak.

"Mom, how are you? I was so worried… I missed you."

"I missed you too, Henry." I smiled at him, running a hand through his hair. He rolled his eyes but smiled back, making us both chuckle. We moved inside and made way to the kitchen, my stomach rumbling harder.

"Have you eaten at all, Mom?" I blushed and shook my head, quickly addressing to the fridge. "You know, you can always use magic to just produce some food." I sighed.

"I know, but I wanted to take a 'day off' from it, today." My stomach rumbled furiously again. "… But I'm guessing that this one rule can be bent." Henry smirked and watched as I produced some food with a wave of my hand. Salad and grilled chicken. We both ate like the world would end in a minute, and I magicked the dishes clean. Henry obviously made fun of me for breaking the rule twice in a row, but I just rolled my eyes.

We decided to watch a movie in my room and talk about school, how things had been for him in the past few days, but I could sense he had more urgent things to talk about. And soon, I gave him the opportunity to bring the subject up.

"So, Mom… How are you feeling?"

I sighed lightly before I could answer. There was no easy way of handling anything. I wouldn't lie to Henry, but I knew there were some things that were better left unsaid.

"I've been coping, Henry." I smiled timidly at him. "And I would like to apologize to you. I know I practically abandoned you." I said, my eyes starting to blur with unshed tears. "I am really, _deeply_ sorry, Henry."

"It's okay, Mom. Really, I understand. You don't need to apologize." He came close and hugged me tight. I hugged him back, sighing. One lonely tear escaped my left eye and descended up to my chin, but I did not wipe it away. I just kept embracing Henry for a long, long time.

It was night when we managed to finish our exhaustive conversations about nothing and everything, at the same time. Henry had this gift of being able to go on passionately about things for hours, and I often caught myself in wonder at the fine young man he was turning out to be. I couldn't be more proud of him.

Eventually, we both fell asleep in my bed.

-x-

The first morning light shone shyly against the window glass as I started to wake up. I groaned a little and my hands found a body next to me. My eyes were still shut when I whispered "Emma?", but instead of finding her, I opened my eyes to see an inquisitive-looking Henry staring back at me.

" _Emma?_ " Henry was sitting down on the bed now. He crossed his arms and I could see Emma staring back at me. He had the same investigative look she possessed. _He was her son, after all._ I smiled sheepishly at him before tugging a loose strand of hair behind my left ear.

"I guess I got used to her being here in these last few days."

"… On the _same_ _bed_?" He asked, eyes glaring at me. I gulped. If I lied, he would know. The kid had an inner lie detector just like his mother. _Those damn genes._

I opened my mouth to reply. What, exactly, I had no idea, but I was saved by a ringtone. Henry's phone was ringing, and he picked up the call – not before glaring at me one last time. I watched as Henry left the room. I sighed. It was Saturday, which meant I could have the day off. Off from work, from needing to have social interactions with other people and _from Emma._

I got up quickly and made way to the bathroom. I needed a cold shower to help me think straight. _Or maybe, I just needed a brainwash._ Something clicked inside my head. A brainwash would be something nearly impossible, but a _potion_ , on the other hand, could do the trick.

Henry knocked on the door, making me wake up from my daydream. He mumbled something about being hungry, and I smiled to myself. I promised him I would make him some pancakes after I left the shower and heard him shout an overly excited "okay!"

I was getting used to taking cold showers now. I quickly left the bathroom after it to change into regular clothes – which involved a red pencil dress – and made downstairs to fetch Henry some food. My heart skipped a beat as I took in the shape of a gorgeous blonde woman sitting at the kitchen table. She had her back to me and Henry was opposite her. He looked at me and shot me that inquisitive look again. I narrowed my eyes at him and put on my best poker face before Emma turned around and met my eyes.

We stared into each other's eyes for two seconds, but it felt like eras. My heart was racing against my chest, and I was afraid they would be able to tell. I cleared my throat and walked past Emma, going towards the stove. I quickly grabbed the needed ingredients without turning to look at either of them, but I could _sense_ Henry staring at the both of us.

"So, Henry… You didn't _tell me_ Emma was coming over. I would have prepared something." I said, trying to sound cool and calm.

"Yeah, you were at the shower, Mom. Sorry."

"You don't need to _prepare_ anything for me, Regina. I'm fine."

Silence fell again over our shoulders, and there was a stiff heaviness joining us in the room. Henry then started a small talk with Emma, but I was not paying attention. I almost burned the first pancake, for being so caught up in my own thoughts. "Shit." I sighed and mumbled to myself. I continued the process without them realizing what had just transpired. After a while, Emma and Henry were laughing and planning something I did not understand.

I magicked the silverware over the table and placed the pancakes in their plates. After setting everything, I sat down between Henry and Emma, and started to eat silently.

"Um… Mom?" Henry said, quietly.

"Yes, dear?" I asked him with a light smile.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

"Because…" He started, slightly uncomfortable and shy. "These do not taste like your food at all." He said, pointing at the almost burned pancakes. I sighed.

"Yeah, my head's up in space, this morning." Emma's eyes flashed towards me, and they met my own for a second. _Just a second_ , that's all it took. Henry looked from Emma to me, but said nothing. _He was picking it up real quick. Soon, I'd have to tell him. But not just yet._

"Well, kid. I gotta go, now. Nice seeing you." Emma said and lifted her hand up for a high-five. Henry smiled and slapped her palm. "Regina." Emma nodded, and so did I. As Emma made her way to the door, Henry turned to look at me with piercing eyes. I looked back at him, a little startled. He looks _so much_ like Emma. Seconds went by, but he said nothing, and neither did I. I gulped and started to shift on the chair. After about two minutes of constant staring, I finally blurted out.

"What?! Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked and started to grab the plates from the table, placing them on the kitchen sink. I had barely eaten at all, as seeing Emma made me lose my appetite.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Mom?" He narrowed his eyes, and I was looking anywhere but at them.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"For a queen, you're a terrible liar."

"And you're a terrible son." I smirked, and he smiled back at me. "There's nothing to say, Henry."

"Oh, really? 'Cause you and Ma seemed to hit it off just smoothly."

I sighed.

"Let's just say that she drives me a little _nuts_ , sometimes." Henry chuckled.

"I'll say." He smiled kindly at me, this time. I couldn't help but feel my heart go warm. He seemed convinced by the vague answer... _For the moment_. I guess everyone expected us to constantly pick on one another, which I was very grateful for right now.

-x-

[HOOK'S POV]

Light and darkness were only a matter of perspective. For example: a fluffy cat can be seen as a giant monster by a mouse, but not by humans. Me? I think those lines are bloody _thin_. I had changed a lot during the eras, and for the first time in my life I was willing to let the revenge on the _Crocodile_ go, just to be with Emma. To get my happy ending, after all.

Hell, I had been to several realms, the Underworld even! I had _died_ , for pity's sake. Emma just wouldn't let go. And, of course, I didn't _want_ her to let go. We loved each other. Just the other day I was at the station talking to her about a project I was on. Little did she know I was planning on bloody _proposing_. And then, she came with the crazy idea of being on a break, out of nowhere.

I felt like I was thrown up in the air without oxygen. I looked around. The Jolly Roger felt too big and yet too small for me. I was having these conflicting thoughts and feelings I couldn't shake, and it seemed like nothing was going to heal this stinging pain in my heart. I hadn't been able to sleep for one second at night. Now morning came and my body ached. I demanded to know the truth, but felt like Emma was not giving me the full insight.

Of course, _something_ must have happened. But _what_? Was she in danger? Was _I_ in danger, again? Was _anyone_ in bloody danger?! My head was swirling up inside, and I knew that I wouldn't find any answers on my own. It was time to take some drastic measures.

-x-

I knocked on the door and waited. It was almost lunchtime now, and the sun was high up in the sky. The birds were singing, people were lazily taking a walk to the diner. They all seemed so happy that it only angered me more. _It was not fair._ I knocked again after some seconds, and heard footsteps inside the house. Her car was parked and the window shutters were open. _She's home_ , I thought.

Henry opened up the door, looking surprised to see me. The kid gulped. That alone answered an unvoiced question.

"Killian, w-what… What can I do for you?" Henry asked, politely.

"I want to speak to Regina."

"Henry, dear, who's…"

Regina froze as she was coming closer to the door. She crossed her arms around her chest and stood beside Henry.

"Hook. Hello."

"Regina. Can we talk?"

Regina nodded and showed me the way. Henry disappeared inside and Regina led me to her study. She offered me a drink politely, and I accepted it way too fast. She smiled timidly at me. We sat across from each other and remained silent for a while, the both of us just savoring the expensive bourbon she had poured.

"I take it you know about me and Emma." Regina only nodded. She looked stiff and uncomfortable, but still regal with her legs crossed and straight spine. "I want to know what the bloody hell is going on."

"And what makes you think I know anything?" Regina asked, taking another sip of her drink.

"You are her best friend. And it's not like I could ask _her parents_ , aye." She nodded quietly. "Which means you know _something_."

"What exactly do you think I know?"

"Whomever she's seeing."

"And what makes you think she's seeing anyone but you?" She narrowed her eyes, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Because that's the only thing that would make _sense_." I sipped the remaining of the liquor and Regina waved at the glass, making some more appear on the then empty glass. She also fetched herself another glass and drank a few sips. She ran her hand through her hair nervously before saying.

"I don't know what to tell you. The woman loves you."

"I know, but… Is she still _in love_ with me?"

"Hook, you have to understand… You died. She said goodbye to you. You made her promise she would move on. And then, all of the sudden, you came back. That must have been a blow to her."

"She should be _happy_ , that's what!" I stood up and started pacing nervously. "It's not like you and Robin, _I came back for her!_ "

Regina's eyes widened in surprise and I immediately regretted saying it.

"Regina…"

"Why is it that suddenly everyone in this town decided to bring me down somehow?!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Goodbye, Hook."

"I mean it, Regina, I…"

" _Out_."

Regina's voice was low, but firm. She was now standing, arms firmly crossed against her chest and her eyes were fuming. I nodded and left the room. I heard Henry asking something as I walked by, but couldn't muster what. I left the house in a heartbeat.

-x-

[HENRY'S POV]

Hook practically ran to the door and said nothing as I asked him what was going on. I looked up and saw the study door open. I sighed and went over to speak to Mom. I knocked timidly on the open door, since her arms were placed on her face. She was sitting at the desk. She looked startled at the door, first, but seemed relieved to see me.

"Oh, it's you, Henry. Come in."

"What was all that about?" I asked, pointing at the door behind me.

"I'm afraid there is no simple answer to that, honey." She started, looking over my shoulder. "But you might be aware that Hook and your mom are on a break…" I nodded in confirmation. "He came in to try to understand that. He's having a hard time dealing with it."

"Okay… And how are _you_ dealing with it, Mom?" She narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean? I have nothing to do with…"

"Yeah, right." I scoffed and she looked alarmingly angry at me.

"Henry Daniel Mills!" I gulped and shivered.

"S-sorry. But seriously, though. What's been going on between you two? And don't say anything!"

"Henry, I don't know what to tell you. I guess things are more complicated now than they were before. I'm afraid I cannot get into detail with you about it." She stood up and started walking. "All this commotion made me tired. I'm going to take a nap."

"Ok, so I'll go to my grandparents'. Is that okay?"

She stopped walking and looked at me, smiling. "Of course, dear. Just don't be late." I smiled back and nodded.

There was _definitely_ something going on, and I wouldn't stop until I found out what.

-x-

I knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds before I heard loud laughter filling the room. Snow's toothy grin greeted me and we both got inside. Charming was holding Neal in his arms, they and Ruby were sitting at the table cracking up at some previously told joke, and they both greeted me at the distance. I smiled at them.

"What's so funny?" I asked, sitting down with them.

"Oh, Ruby was just telling me how once she got a flea infestation in her…"

"David! There are some things that ought to be left unsaid!" Snow warned him in a high pitched tone.

"Sorry" He said, wiping some tears away. "Sometimes I forget he's still just a kid." David ruffled my hair and I grumbled.

"I'm not a kid. I'm 14!"

Everybody laughed hard at that, and I crossed my arms over my chest. After quite some seconds and thorough apologies, they seemed to calm down.

"So, Henry. How's Regina?" Snow asked, looking at me lovingly.

"Yeah, I was hoping I could talk to you about that, grandma."

She seemed somehow worried and placed her hands over mine.

"What happened? Is she okay? How's Emma?"

"Emma? Why are you asking…"

"For no reason!" She said loudly, letting go of my hands and pacing around.

"Why is everybody acting weird about this? It's my _moms_ we're talking about. I have the right to know!"

She looked at me and nodded in agreement. I sighed in relief.

"Let's have some ice cream, Henry. What do you say?"

"Sure, let's."

We said goodbye to the now chuckling again duo and left the apartment. She always seemed happy to see me, and ruffled my hair. _I was beginning to think it was a Charming thing._ We started walking on the streets and I could sense she didn't know where to begin, so I decided to help her out.

"What's going on between my moms?"

"I wish I knew too, Henry."

"But something happened. What?" She looked sternly at me.

"I'm not so sure, either. I'm guessing both of them are… _Confused_."

"How?"

"Kid, you're straight to the point today, huh?!" She asked and exhaled loudly.

"Sorry" I scratched the back of my neck in bewilderment, but she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine, I'd be like that too if both my moms were having an affair."

"WHAT?!" I stopped dead in my tracks and looked alarmingly at her. "THEY'RE HAVING A WHAT?!"

"Henry! Hey, easy there!" She looked stupidly worrying at me, both hands reaching and squeezing my shoulders. "It's not like that anymore, they… Called it quits."

"What do you mean _anymore_? God! I can't breathe." I was hyperventilating and had to sit down on the sidewalk for a bit. Snow clearly had no idea what to do, but stood beside me, looking into my eyes. "But… But Emma loves Hook, and Mom loves… Robin." His name came out as a whisper, as I remembered Regina calling for _Emma_ when she woke up that day. Reality seemed to sink in. " _Oh my God._ " Snow hugged me and started patting my back.

"Yeah kid, let it all out. It's fine. It freaked me out, too."

"Oh, God. God, I think I'm gonna puke."

She quickly let go of the embrace and watched as I gagged. Nothing came out, but I felt a lump in my throat and my stomach hurt.

"How… When?" I didn't know exactly what to ask, or what exactly I wanted to know first.

"Since the first night Emma went there." She waited for my next question, not wanting to scare me even more, or rush things.

"God. And to think I made her go there… That's why she didn't want it anymore." I engulfed my face with my hands. Snow placed her left arm over my shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"It's okay, kid. You couldn't have known at all. And, like I said, it's over."

"But… _Why_ is it over?" She blinked at me a few times and seemed to not know the answer. She simply shrugged and something clicked inside my head.

"Is it why Ma broke up with Hook?"

"Technically, they're on a break, but yes."

"Do you think they… _Like_ each other?" She seemed to consider it for a while.

"Yes. I know they feel something for one another."

"Is it love?"

"I don't know, Henry. And I don't think they know, either. All I know is… It kept Regina from going back to being the Evil Queen. I saw it with my own eyes."

"God. But Robin has just died, I mean…"

"I know. That's why she's freaking out. I think she feels guilty for feeling something for someone else so fast." I nodded quietly, looking at the ground.

"But what about Ma? I mean, she has Hook, and he has also just come back from the Underworld. None of it makes sense to me." I felt utterly frustrated.

"Oh, but that's it, isn't it? There are many things we don't understand, and can't really tell why they happen at all. All I know is what Emma told me, and what _I've seen_."

"And what was that?" I asked, looking at her in the eyes.

"When they came over, they barely stopped staring at one another. Then, there was the constant smiling. The _flirting_." I crinkle my nose, but she continued. "I'm not sure _they_ even know what's happening."

"So what now?"

"I don't know, kid. But I'm starting to think…" She stopped herself, looking to the horizon.

"What?" I asked, curiously. She looked me in the eyes.

"What if they're each other's happy ending?"


	9. Chapter 9 - Unlikely events

_Author's Note: Thank you Sammii16 for reading and reviewing this. It's really nice to know you are enjoying this little adventure of mine. It means a lot. I hope you (and everyone else) like this one as well! Things will get a little messier now..._

Chapter 9 – Unlikely events

[REGINA'S POV]

I woke up at about 5pm with a text. I reached over the bed for my phone and started reading it.

" _Regina, it's Red. Wanna go out for a drink at the Rabbit Hole?_ "

" _Sure. Meet you there at 7."_

I let out a small yawn and sat down on the bed. I still had quite some time to get ready, but decided to get up and look for Henry. I quickly discovered that he still wasn't in the house, so I decided to call him.

"Hey, Mom! I was wondering… Can I sleep over at grandma's?"

"Well… Yes, I suppose you can, dear."

"Great! Catch up with you tomorrow."

"I love you, Henry." I heard him sigh heavily.

"Love you too, Mom."

I was going to sleep all by myself again, after some days. The thought both warmed and scared me. I took a deep breath. _I'll be fine_.

-x-

It was thrilling to finally be going out again, after a long, long time. I tried to remember when the last time was, when I reached the bar counter. I looked around and smiled. There were some people dancing, others laughing excitedly in groups and even some couples on a few tables. I thought about Emma, but shook my head agitatedly, as if it could erase the memories.

I had opted to wear the red pencil dress with a black leather jacket on top, with high black heels. After about five minutes, Ruby arrived. She first looked around the bar with narrowed eyes to see better, and then our eyes met. She smiled and joined me at the counter.

We ordered two red martinis and looked at each other. Ruby placed one hand on my shoulder and squeezed it tightly.

"You look great, Regina." I smiled timidly at her, placing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Thanks. So do you, by the way. I mean… _Wow._ " She laughed and waved at the air.

"Thank you, but I doubt anyone would look at my direction when you're sitting right next to me." I smiled politely. Ruby was wearing tight black leather pants, a red and blue checked shirt and a black leather jacket.

The bartender placed the drinks before us, and we lifted them slowly up.

"Cheers." I said, and we both drank. Silence fell for a minute, before Ruby started.

"So, Regina… I wanted to thank you for what you did for me. I mean, we've never been really friends, and you didn't have to." She looked brightly into my eyes, and I smiled honestly at her.

"There's no need to thank me, Ruby. I know you would have done the same, if need be. And I know what it's like having this… _Darkness_ inside, that no one understands."

Ruby nodded quietly and lifted her glass again.

"Cheers to that, darling." She said as we both chuckled and took another sip. I looked in time to see Ruby finish her glass. I opened my mouth in awe. She laughed. "I'm a heavy drinker. You better keep up." She patted my back twice.

"Oh, Ms. Lucas. You have no idea where you're getting yourself into." I teased and finished my cup, too. We ordered two more and Ruby looked around.

"I really missed this town." She said, sighing lightly. "I didn't think I would miss it _that_ much. I wish Dorothy were here…" She took a deep breath and then turned to the counter, again. It was my turn to place a hand on her shoulder.

"I know that feeling, Red. What do you plan on doing, now?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I can do something, I mean… I used my last magic bean to come back here, so…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Do you think she'll come after you?"

"I'm afraid she can't, either. That was the last bean in the whole realm." She took a very long sip and ordered a shot of tequila. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "I mean, I feel much better now… In control. But that doesn't really fix things with her. She doesn't know I'm here, but I think she would assume it. The thing is… We really have no way of going back to each other."

"What if…" My head was spiraling fast. "What if we found another bean? I mean, you could go back there and live your happily ever after –"

"But how? Do you have one?" She turned to face me, excitement all over her face.

"No… But I know someone who might happen to have a spare."

"Don't tell me…"

"Yes. Rumplestiltskin."

"Regina, don't. It's not worth it."

"But –"

"No. And that's settled. Okay?" She looked convinced, so I didn't push her. I finished my drink and ordered a tequila, too. After some seconds, the drinks were placed in front of us, along with lime and salt. I gulped. _That was a terrible idea._

"Ready?" She looked at me, completely amused.

"Baby… I _was born_ ready."

Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed. We counted to three and drank the shots, quickly licking the salt and sucking on the lime. Our eyes burned and we chuckled by each other's pained expressions. We quickly ordered two more, and repeated the process. My senses were beginning to slow down, and I felt the familiar dizziness making its way. Ruby was also feeling the alcohol effects, but we were having fun, so we kept going. We each ordered a beer now – we did not want to pass out, after all – and decided to sit down at a table. We barely made it to the chair, and Ruby was asking.

"So, what's the deal between you and Emma?" I choked on the beer and coughed a little.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. I saw you two together. Holding hands and all. The chemistry… Don't deny it." I sighed. The last thing I wanted was to talk about Emma Swan.

"Fine. Something happened, but it's over. She loves Hook, and…"

"Seriously? That's your excuse?"

"Excuse me?"

"They're on a break. If she was still in love with him, do you think she would do that?"

"You don't know Emma. She tends to run when she's scared."

"Yeah, then tell me. What's _scaring_ her?"

I thought about it for a second and opened my mouth to answer. No words were actually said, and Ruby smiled.

"See? Even _you_ can't deny it." I frowned, waving for the bartender to bring us another round of beers.

"She broke up with me." I shrugged. "It's over."

"But do you _want_ it to be over?" I opened my mouth to reply, but she quickly added. "Come on, be honest with me. Take it on the alcohol, I don't mind. But be honest about it."

I inhaled deeply. "No. I think I… _Miss her_." I looked away and scratched the nape of my neck.

The bartender placed the drinks on the table and took the empty cans away. We both started drinking quickly. At the same time, I watched Hook walk into the bar and sit down at the counter. He hadn't seen us, and he looked like he had had a few too many, already. Two girls sat up on stools on either side of him, chatting excitedly. He ordered them all drinks and placed his arms over their shoulders.

Ruby caught my eyes looking at him and pulled me up with her.

"Come, let's dance."

"But I don't danc-"

"Of course you do. Everybody does. Now move that ass."

I laughed and we started _moving_ at the sound of the music. I probably looked ridiculous, but didn't care much. Soon enough, I found out the reason for the dancing request: There was a very beautiful woman on one of the tables staring almost as if she had been hypnotized at Ruby. I smirked. My heart skipped a beat when I found out that the woman's friend – who was sitting right next to her – was looking directly at _me_. I gulped and shifted uncomfortably.

"Ruby, um… Can we sit down again? I don't feel so good."

"Sure thing. Let's go."

She said, taking my hand. Instead of going back to the table we were before, she sat down at the women's table. I was still standing when Ruby stamped my foot painfully and I sat down immediately, looking away.

"Hello, ladies." Ruby said with a toothy smile. I smiled timidly at them. "I noticed you were staring…" She winked and waved at the bartender, signaling for 4 new beers to come. I took a deep breath. "I'm Ruby, this is Regina. What are your names?"

"I'm Jane, this is Beth." Said the woman who was staring at Ruby. She had long black hair, an incredibly light skin and soft blue eyes. Her friend had short blond curly hair, hazel eyes and some freckles around her nose and eyes. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Ruby smiled. We engaged in an easy conversation with them. Ruby and Jane really hit it off; Beth and I were a little more reserved. After some time, Ruby and Jane went to the dance floor together, engaging in a flirtatious and sensual rhythm together. I gulped and looked at Beth.

"It's okay, you don't need to push it." She smiled kindly and I felt incredibly relieved. "I'm not much of a dancer myself." Her smile widened a little, and she blushed. I smiled at her.

"Neither am I, to be honest. I'd rather just look." She chuckled a little. "So, what are you guys doing in Storybrooke? Haven't seen you around."

"My friend there likes to travel to some _unusual_ places."

"Oh, really? Tell me about it." I asked with legitimate interest.

"Well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." I smiled fondly. She looked suspiciously at me first, but decided to try.

"Let's say we accidentally went to a bar once, and this guy came to her and offered a bag of beans if she did him a favor in the future." She chuckled at the memory. "We had drunk a lot, of course we didn't believe it. But he was fun, and so she did promise it, and late at night, he gave her the bag, saying that she could go anywhere she wanted, if she just wished for it." She took a sip of her beer and I did the same, patiently waiting for her to continue her story. "One night we were wasted and decided to try. It worked. It really worked." She said with bright eyes. "And since then, we can pretty much go anywhere we want, whenever we want. I mean. The beans aren't infinite, but this man did say something about this place called Storybrooke, and how magic existed, and that maybe we could find some more beans here, with him."

"Do you still have those beans?" I asked.

"You mean… You believe me?!" She asked with excitement. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, I truly do. 100%."

"Well, we still have one left. That's why we came here, you know. To find this man and ask for more."

"What was the man's name?" I asked, taking another sip of the beer.

"Mr. Gold."

-x-

Beth and I kept talking excitedly about their travels for some time. I couldn't help but notice her getting closer to me, but I guess all the alcohol was slowing my thoughts, so I didn't move away. She was actually very pretty, and in another situation, I might have had a genuine interest for her. Emma came into my thoughts again and I sighed. Beth didn't seem to notice. After a while, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. I looked around. Ruby and Jane were now kissing, and I smiled. It was getting late, the people were a long way from sober, and then my eyes met Hook again. He was standing, talking to a tall man beside a woman.

I blinked to try and see better, since the dizziness had reached a high peak. Suddenly, Hook and the man were nose to nose and punches were thrown at one another. I quickly got up and went there to help. In the middle of the commotion, I was pulling Hook apart from the man, and felt something hit my lower lip. I kept pushing Hook and some other people managed to restrain the man to the opposite side.

"Hook. Hook! Look at me." I cupped his face, my voice high and urgent from the adrenaline. He slowly began to calm down and looked me in the eyes. Realization took over and he reached for a napkin.

"Regina… Your lip! Here." He placed the napkin on my mouth, and I protested from the pain, but accepted it.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry, did I hit you? I don't-"

"I don't know, everything happened fast. Don't worry about it. Just tell me what happened."

"That _prick_ was messing with the lady, I told him to leave her alone, but… Well. _Obviously_ , it didn't work." Hook ruffled his hair and sat down on the counter. "Hey… I'm sorry, again. For earlier." It took me a second to remember. I sat down beside him and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was a nice guy, and deserved to be happy. He had also come a long way. It was bitter to think that we were both in love with the same woman. It was also the first time that I actually admitted that I was in love with Emma Swan.

"Don't worry about it. Are you all right?"

"Aye. I think I'm just… I'm leaving now. Thank you, again."

He nodded and I patted him on the shoulder. He paid the bartender and left the bar, alone.

"Who was _that_?" I looked around and watched Beth sit down next to me.

"That's Hook. He's a…" I considered it for a moment. "Friend."

"He's handsome." I looked at her, and she blushed. I smiled timidly at her.

"Yes, he is. For a pirate." I smirked.

"Wait… Is he… _The_ Hook?" Her eyes widened. I chuckled.

"Yes."

"Man. This town never ceases to amaze me."

-x-

I woke up with a heavy headache the following day. I did not open my eyes for some time, because of the light. _Damn, why did I not shut the blinds?_ I rolled around and felt a lump. I gulped. _What the…?!_ I opened my eyes alarmingly and found a woman lying next to me. I sat up quickly in bed and realization sank: We were both naked.

Shame was running through my veins like poison, and I looked around. Our clothes were scattered all over, but thankfully, the woman was still asleep. I took a closer look at her and I knew I had been talking to her all night. What was her name, again? Barbara? Briar?

I sighed and with a wave of my hand, got dressed in last night's clothes. I also gathered hers and placed on the empty side of the bed. My head was thumping and I moved downstairs with a hand over my left eye. My body felt heavy and by the time I reached the living room, I stumbled across a boot. I looked around and found Ruby cuddled with the other woman on the couch. _Ew._ I'd totally have it cleaned first thing on Monday.

I went to the kitchen to make some coffee. I reached for my phone. There were missed calls from Henry, Snow and Emma. My heart beat fast. It was now 1h30pm, I couldn't remember what time we got home, or how. I had no memory of being with Brenda. _Was it her name? God._

When coffee was finally ready, I sat down heavily on the chair and took a long needed sip. I went to my study, closed the door and dialed Snow's number. She picked up fast.

"Regina Mills." Her voice was angry, urgent, but relieved." Where _THE HELL_ have you and Ruby been? I've been trying to reach her all day, she just vanished on me!"

"Uh… Let's just say she… Had a busy night." I bit my lower lip nervously.

"W-what?" I sighed as she stammered.

"Okay, Snow. We went out and drank our asses out. I have no idea how or when we got home, for that matter. All I know is that she's tangled up with some woman in MY couch, and there's a stranger on my bed, and…" I was hyperventilating.

"Whoa, hey, calm down. Breathe, woman." I took a deep breath. And another. And one more, for that matter. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know. My head hurts." I whined just like a kid. "Is Henry with you?"

"Yes. He was equally worried. So was Emma." I stood silent for a moment, and she noticed. "You haven't spoken, have you?"

"No. It's over, Snow."

"Yeah. Right." I was sure she had rolled her eyes after that. "Anyway. When Ruby wakes up, tell her I'm incredibly mad at her disappearing on me, okay?"

"I'll do."

"Henry will stay over. It's better, since you have some… _People_ over."

I agreed and we hung up. I gulped and stared at the phone, trying to decide if I would call Emma or not.


	10. Chapter 10 - Apologies

Chapter 10 – Apologies

[REGINA'S POV]

I finally decided to text Emma. I wasn't sure I would have the strength to hear her voice. I held the phone in my hands for excruciating 15 minutes before I could finally muster the courage to start texting.

 _"Hello, Emma. Have you called? I was up late, only managed to check my phone now."_ It took me another three minutes to press the "send" button. My heart started racing by the moment I sent it.

After less than a minute, she replied.

 _"You got us all worried, Regina. I heard about your little adventure last night. Hope it was worth it, your majesty."_

I would definitely kill Snow this time. For good. Before I really started planning on a way of killing Snow, I texted her in no time.

 _"YOU TOLD EMMA?! WHAT THE HELL, SNOW!"_ To which Snow quickly replied.

 _"Sorry! I might or might not have had you on speaker when you said it… Which means Emma might or might not have heard your confession… Really sorry."_

 _God._ I wanted to take it on Emma. To yell at her, to make her suffer. But I didn't even know if it had been worth it. I felt an adrenaline rush through my body. Of course, I would lie.

 _"Yes, it was worth it, all right. Saw Hook there, too. The pirate's broken, you know that?"_ I pressed the "send" button and felt my heart sink. Seeing Hook like that made me feel a certain sympathy for the pirate that I have never imagined. He, of all people, was not guilty of anything. He deserved his happy ending as well as she did. The question was: did _I_ deserve mine?

I heard footsteps. My heart raced. Was it Brooke? A shy knock on the door filled the room and I gulped before saying. "Come in". I watched as the blonde timidly entered the room.

"Hi." She said, tugging a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hello." I said, sitting down at the desk. "Please, come in."

She entered the room slowly, closing the door behind her. She sat on the couch and looked at the ground.

"So… Do you have any pills for a gruesome hangover?" She asked, and blushed. I laughed.

"Well, I might have something better." I said. "I've had some amazing hangovers recently, and devel… _Discovered_ a cure. It's 100% natural" I lied, showing her a serum. It was a potion I had created. I took a sip of it and handed the remaining up to her. She looked at if for exactly 3 seconds, and then drank it up. I couldn't help but smile. There was a certain innocence mixed with beauty in everything she did. The potion worked pretty much instantly, which made her change her body language completely.

"Wow! It _really_ works!" She said, smiling broadly.

"Yes… It does." I said and took a bottle of martini from a drawer nearby. I poured myself a glass and looked at her, raising an eyebrow. I nodded at her, waiting for her command. She licked her lips and said:

"Fine. The pain's gone, so…" We both chuckled. I poured her some of the liquid, too, and sat down next to her in the couch.

"I'm afraid I don't recall _everything_ that happened yesterday…" I said, blushing.

"Oh, thank God!" She said and exhaled, as if she had been holding her breath for 3 hours. "I thought I was the only one with a little amnesia." She blushed harder this time, and I smiled fondly at her.

"Well, what do you say about starting over? I'm Regina." I said and reached out a hand towards her. She shook it with her own and said:

"I'm Beth." _Beth! I knew it was something with a B._ "Nice to meet you again, Regina." We both chuckled. "What's the last thing you remember?" She asked and I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, and she placed a hand over my leg. "It's okay. I've been down this road way too many times." She laughed. I relaxed a little before continuing.

"I guess… When Hook left, or something."

"Hook?" She asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the pirate."

"I have no idea who you're talking about." She said, and I couldn't help but smile. "Sorry" She blushed again.

"It's fine. Let's pretend that last night was a prelude to us meeting today, is that okay with you?" She nodded. "So, Beth." I began. "Tell me, what would you like to know about me?" She bit her lower lip and stared at my mouth. I felt a shiver down my spine and my heart raced. I knew what she was about to do, but I wasn't sure I wanted it to happen. She came in closer, and I was starting to panic.

When her lips were about to reach mine, the door was abruptly opened. Ruby got in, mouth open, ready to say something, but when she saw the woman beside me, her mouth closed. She stood silent without really knowing how to proceed.

"Beth, would you excuse us, for a second?" I asked, politely. She nodded and left the room in hurried steps. Ruby closed the door behind her and looked like she was about to start speaking _again_ , but I signaled her to not do that. I then quickly charmed the room so no one could hear what was going on from the outside. I knew this could quickly turn into a heated or desperate conversation. I nodded at her, and she began vomiting the words.

"Regina… _What the fuck did we do?!_ I mean… Who's that chick that slept with me?! And the one who was almost kissing you?! Oh, God!"

She sank on the couch next to me and I placed a hand on her thigh. "Breathe, woman." I said, and she took several deep breaths.

"Beth." Red looked at me. "Her name's Beth. I don't know about your… Well. I don't know how to name her."

"God, this is a nightmare." She placed both palms on the sides of her head, looking completely lost. I felt sorry for her.

"Come on, it's not that bad. I mean… Beth is okay with that, and I bet… The other woman will be, too." She continued taking deep breaths. "Ruby, relax. It's not a big deal."

"Yes… Yes, it is, Regina." She said, tears quickly flooding her eyes. "I cheated on her." She wiped some of them away, looking at the ground. "I mean, I left. But we never really broke up, you know. I guess… I just… Needed some human contact." She sighed, and placed her head on my lap. We stayed in that position for some time, not saying anything. Ruby cried all the tears she had been holding back for a long, _very_ long time.

-x-

After almost an hour, we made our way downstairs and found a note on the couch in the living room. It said " _Things got pretty messy, we're sorry. If you would, we would like to meet again – less drunk this time. Same time, same place? XO. PS: our names are Jane and Beth, just in case."_

Ruby and I looked at each other at the same time.

"So, do you want-"

"NO! God, I can't do it again." Ruby said, pacing around.

"Well… I might know something that can convince you." I bit my lower lip nervously. I immediately felt the taste of blood and remembered the cut from the night before. I licked it to clean it up, but Ruby seemed to not notice it. She narrowed her eyes and sat down on the couch.

"Spill it."

"Unfortunately, I can't remember _every_ detail, but there was something about another bean. The last one. And Jane has it."

Ruby just kept staring at me for ten seconds, before looking away, deep in thought. I came and sat beside her at a fair distance, placing my right hand over the backrest.

"It can't be. How is it even possible? They're not even _from here_."

"Yes, I thought it too, until Beth told me that _Gold_ gave them a lot of beans. That's how they found this town, and many other places. They have no idea who we are, though. Which is good… In my case." I shifted uncomfortably on the couch and Ruby looked at me.

"Gold? But why on Earth would he do that?"

"That also got me thinking. And there's more. He told them that if they ran out of them, they could come after him for more. I never knew Gold had a stack of beans, but he is definitely into something. He never does anything out of goodness of his heart. He wanted them to come here, but why?"

"I don't know. You said they still have one?"

"Yes. What do you suggest we do?"

Red sighed and started pacing around again. She seemed to be having many different internal struggles and arguments, and I chose not to disturb her. After about three minutes, she gave up and landed on the couch with a small thump.

"I don't know what to do."

"I can see that." She looked angrily at me, but I continued before she could say anything. "And I can understand your struggle. I don't know what I would do, either, but it seems like we're back to the Gold issue." Red nodded and looked out the window.

"The worst part of it is that I could have avoided it. We could still be there, happy, together. But I just had to go and fuck it all up again." I removed my hand from the backrest and placed it on her left thigh. She looked at me with much sadness.

"Don't do that to yourself. I've been down that road and can assure you that it leads to nothing good. First things first: let's think of our options as of tonight. Is that okay with you?" I looked at her and she nodded quietly. "Okay. So, A: we go there, talk to them and get information on this final bean; B: We don't go there and keep imagining it through anyway; C: We don't go there and you feel miserable forever. Shall I continue?"

Ruby rolled her eyes but seemed to agree with me.

"Fine. But that _does_ _not_ mean I'll be kissing anyone tonight."

"You don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable with, Ruby. Relax, we got this."

"I hope you're right."

I smiled reassuringly at her.

-x-

"Are you sure we have to do this?" I asked and bit my lips for the thousandth time in a row.

" _Yes_. And seriously, you and Emma need to talk." I opened my mouth to protest, but she continued. "Don't lie to yourself. There's more to it than something physical."

"There's nothing…"

"Oh, really? Then how would you describe your last kiss?"

"Well, we… I… Um…" I blushed, gulped, and felt my eyes widen. Ruby smirked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"See? There's no denying, Regina. You're in love with her." I knew I was, _of course I was,_ but saying it out loud would be too much for me now.

"Now that's a total misunderstanding! I'm not… _In love_ with anyone. Besides, it's been only a few days, that's not even possible."

"Seriously, we live in a fairy tale world. _Anything_ is possible."

I narrowed my eyes and looked away, pacing around the living room. Ruby was still sitting down on the couch and seemed very pleased at that turn of events. _That bastard._

"Fine. We'll go there. But I can't assure you it'll be good."

"I know. I truly understand what you're feeling." Suddenly, Ruby's face turned completely sympathetic and nice. "But please, understand that I need to do this, and I would feel more comfortable if you were there with me."

I sighed deeply and closed my eyes for a second, stopping in my tracks. She was right. She needed to do this, and it would be better if we were together. I looked at her and she looked extremely excited – like a kid would.

"Fine. Let's do this before I change my mind." She smiled broadly and I poofed us to Snow's apartment.

-x-

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Snow screamed when both Ruby and I showed up in front of her in her own apartment, unadvised. She placed one hand over her heart as if to slow it down. I smiled to myself and Ruby nudged my ribs, causing me to protest in pain.

"Ouch! What did I do?!" I asked rubbing my sides. Ruby rolled her eyes and shook her head in response. This time I was able to hide the smirk that was about to grace the light of day again. "Anyway. Sorry about the entrance, Snow." I said as she grumbled. "But we kind of have an emergency, and would like some advice and thoughts over it." Snow seemed curious.

"Does it have anything to do with your… _Acquaintances_?" She looked at Ruby and me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but not only that." It was Ruby's turn to speak, and she bit her lower lip nervously. "Gold has something to do with it, and there might be a way for me to go back to Dorothy."

"How so?" Snow said and made her way to the table, sitting on a chair. We both followed her and sat opposite one another.

"The reason why they showed up here in the first place was because Gold

gave them a stack of magic beans, and now they only have one left. He told them if they ever needed more, they could come searching for him, here."

Snow nodded slowly, trying to absorb the information that was laid upon her.

"But… Why? Why would he gift total strangers with extremely rare items such as magic beans?" Snow seemed to not understand it, and looked at both our eyes.

"We don't know it either. The thing is… They invited us to go to the bar again, same time, tonight. We decided to go, but we need some thoughts about it first."

"You're going?" I heard a voice coming from the bedroom and looked up in time to see Emma lying against the doorframe, arms crossed and narrowed eyes straight towards me. I couldn't help but gulp.

"Emma, it wasn't her idea. Actually, I put her up to it, she didn't wanna go." Ruby anticipated, and I felt a little relieved as Emma's arms unfolded and she came closer to the table, sitting beside me.

"So, what are you guys doing _exactly_?" Emma asked Ruby, not looking at my direction in the slightest. I rolled my eyes.

"We need information. Anything we can get on that lost bean, but we have no idea how things are going to turn out. We came here to ask for back up. Since this is something Gold has his finger on, we can never be too careful. And if it gets out of hand in terms of… Drinking and doing stupid things –" Emma looked at me narrowing her eyes again. "Then it will be nice having you guys there to get us out. What do you say?"

"Yes." Emma quickly answered, and Mary Margaret looked at her with her mouth open. "We will be at the bar, just pretending to look around. If anything happens, we'll intervene."

Snow nodded at the same time that the door opened, revealing David and Henry. They were both holding ice creams and smiling to each other, when Henry's eyes found mine, and then Emma's. He dropped his smile immediately. Snow seemed to tense up and shift on the table. David also changed completely his body language and greeted everyone, leaning on the kitchen counter. Henry stayed glued to the threshold, now looking straight at me. Emma looked at him and at me, frowning.

"Kid? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Ma. I'm great." He lied, looking away.

"Henry, can we talk?" I asked, looking at him. He simply nodded and went to the bedroom. I followed him, closing the door behind us. I went straight to the bedroom and sat down, while he went over to the window, looking away. "What's wrong, dear?" It took him some minutes before he could either speak or even look at me in the eyes.

"I know about you and Ma." I gulped and shifted nervously on the bed.

"What do you mean-"

"Mom, please. I'm not a kid anymore." I nodded as he looked at me in the eyes. "What about Robin? Have you forgot about him already?"

"Henry… It's not like-"

"And Hook? You didn't think about him, did you? Did Ma think about him at all? I knew you never liked him, but that's _low_ , Mom."

"Henry! Watch what you say to me, now-"

"It wasn't her fault!" Emma entered the room and seemed determined. Only then I realized we were probably both screaming, for she heard it and decided to intervene. "I'm the one who started it." Her voice came out low, almost as a whisper, and Henry looked at her in disbelief.

"But you have a boyfriend. You love Hook!" Emma looked down and closed the door behind her, leaning against it. "I mean… You do love him, right? I'm really trying hard to understand what's going on here, Moms."

Emma and I looked at each other at the same time, almost as if we were pleading each other to do something to calm him down.

"Henry… It was just something that happened. A mistake. Of course, I still love Robin. I'll never stop loving him, just like Daniel. And Emma loves Hook." I felt as if a knife had just pierced my heart at the thought. "It's just not gonna happen anymore."

"How can you be so sure?"

"It was a mutual decision, Henry. It's been too much too fast for us, and we need to think, to put things in order."

"Yes, Regina's right, kid. Besides, we did it all wrong. _I_ did it all wrong. It could never work."

"Yeah, you definitely did." I laughed lightly and Emma narrowed her eyes towards me.

"I did say 'we', you know. I'm not alone here." I was still smiling as I looked at Emma, her expression lighting up a little. She was trying to hide a new coming smile when Henry spoke again.

"Oh my God. You don't even see it, do you?" We both looked at Henry now and then at each other, confused.

"See what, kid?"

"It's obvious that you have feelings for one another." I cracked up and Emma frowned, crossing her arms.

" _Please_ … Don't be ridiculous."

"Then stop trying to hide it. Let's see who the ridiculous party here is."

I looked sternly at him and I could sense Emma shifting her gaze from Henry to me, over and over again.

"There's nothing to hide, Kid."

Henry seemed to give up, raising both hands up in the air and leaving the room. He slammed door before he left and no one came knocking after him. Emma came in closer to me and sat down beside me in bed. We were both looking down at the ground for some time, trying to find the words to say whatever was on our mind.

"So… You really didn't do it just because of the Savior thing, right?" I kept looking down, but she looked at me and placed her left hand over my right thigh.

"Oh, Regina. As if I would do something like that just because the people wanted me to. I guess… _I_ wanted it, from the start. I just needed an excuse."

"Wanted." I repeated the word out loud, still looking away.

"And… I'm sorry." Her voice was almost inaudible when she said it, and I immediately looked at her in the eyes. It was her turn to look down. "I really am. I know things got out of hand and I really didn't… _Don't_ know how to deal with it. And I know I hurt you, but it's because that's what I do. When things get more intense I seem to just run away. Run away from the events, from the people and from my feelings."

I couldn't help but take both her hands in mine, which caused her to look into my eyes. There was a certain amount of sadness in those green orbs, and they met my own brown ones.

"I understand, Emma. Now I do. Thank you. And I also want to apologize." I lifted a hand up when she motioned to speak, and she stood quiet. I looked out the window. "I want to apologize for whatever happened, for not being able to look after our son, leaving all the responsibility to you. And for the way I've reacted with those girls, I mean…" I blushed, and Emma cupped my chin, forcing me to look into her eyes.

"I was a dick. Don't apologize for it. You're single, free, available… I have no right to be mad at you or them, for that matter. I think I got… _Jealous_." She shifted on the bed and looked down. "That's what's scaring me, you know." Her voice was so low that I barely heard it.

"Yes." Emma and I stared at each other for less than 10 seconds when she asked me what I feared the most in my life right now.

"Regina… Do you have feelings for me?"

"I…" I got up and paced around for some moments. Emma stared at me at first, uneasy and restless. She eventually got up as well and stood in front of me, when she realized no real answer was coming. She moved in closer, our noses were slightly touching, foreheads leaning and our bodies glued to one another. She placed her right hand over my chest, feeling my heartbeat. She took my right hand and placed it over her own chest, and we could both feel our hearts racing and our breaths uneven.

We couldn't fight it or hide it anymore. Emma closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Her warm breath reached my lips, which caused my mouth to open slightly. She then opened her eyes and looked at mine, intensely. I placed my hands on her waist, pulling her closer, and she cupped my face. We shot each other one last glance, before my eyes moved to her lips. I bit my lower lip nervously and could feel my heart beating strong and fast. Emma brushed her lips with mine, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. I pulled her in for a deeper kiss, tongues dancing together like in a symphony. Our hands were exploring each other's body with desperation and anxiety, as if we'd been craving this contact for a very long time – _and we had_. After some minutes, despite the arousal and the fact that we needed each other's body even closer – if that was even possible –, we eventually ended the kiss the way it started. We touched our foreheads again, breathing heavily and with our eyes closed. I could feel Emma's heart thumping against my chest, and I was sure she could feel the same about my own. We finally opened our eyes and looked into each other's, and I couldn't help questioning:

"So, what do we do, now?"


	11. Chapter 11 - Information

Chapter 11 - Information

[EMMA'S POV]

"You know I still can't do this, right?" I said, and Regina moved away from me. She laid down on the bed, facing the wall, turning her back on me. It took me a second before moving again, knowing it wouldn't be an easy conversation. I laid down beside her and was about to reach her right shoulder with my hand, when I stopped myself. I could smell her hair so close to me, and felt my heart racing faster. _God._

"Regina… _Please_. Will you just listen to me?" I asked with pleading eyes, even though she couldn't see them. She sighed.

"I'm all ears, Emma."

"I'm gonna be completely honest with you. I don't know what to do. I know I have feelings for you, and you for me. We both _felt_ that, moments ago. But the thing is… I feel like an asshole for what I did to Hook and you, at the same time. It's not who I am, not who I want to be. Especially because… I've been there, done that. And I also know you deserve someone better than me." I started to sit down on the bed to leave, but Regina held me by the wrist and I stopped. She turned her body and was now facing me.

"What did you say?"

"Which part? Because I have…"

"You don't think you deserve me?"

"You deserve someone _better_ than me. That's for sure."

"What on earth makes you think that?!"

I laid down again and turned my body to face her too.

"Regina… You're a _queen_. You're powerful, resilient, and you've become a much better person than I ever thought _I_ could. You deserve the best person this world has ever seen."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious, yes."

"Emma… I mean, look at _you_. You're so tough, so amazingly strong, both inside and outside… And you've always been good. Even as the Dark One. I mean… You're the Savior. I don't think _I_ deserve _you_."

I smiled at her, and suddenly we were both chuckling at the situation. Some tears started falling down on her cheek and I wiped it with my hand. I brushed my thumb against her cheek and she smiled at me.

"I never meant to hurt you. And by having done so, I'm scared. I don't ever want to do that to you again." I took a deep breath. "I want to ask you something."

"Ask away." She said, placing a hand over mine, taking it next to her lips and kissing it lightly.

"I still can't do this… _Us_. I do need some time to understand my feelings and everything that happened. I've been trying really hard not to kiss you every time our eyes meet, unsuccessfully. I wish things were simpler, but they're not. I can't be with you right now. At least until I can fully correspond to our feelings for one another. My question is… What do you say?"

"I don't think this is the right moment, either. Robin's death still shakes me, and the Hook thing… It's really fresh. I agree with what you say. And it's hard for me too not to touch you, or _feel_ you, for that matter. I think some distance will be good for us." I sighed, removing my hand from hers. I leaned my back on the mattress, looking up. She sat down on the edge of the bed and both hands gripped it tightly.

"So… What about tonight?" I asked and bit my lower lip. "Are you… _What_ are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure. We need information, that's what I aim for."

"Yes…" Regina got up and made way to the bedroom door. "Regina! I…" She turned around and looked sadly at me. "Thank you. For understanding." She smiled timidly and left.

-x-

[GOLD'S POV]

I heard the familiar bell and the door of the shop open. I looked up and saw a tall and thin black haired woman with shining blue eyes. She came closer to the counter. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Hello. I'm surprised to see you here."

"Well… I'm a woman of my word."

"I can see that. So I'm guessing your beans…"

"We still have one left, but you did say you could get us some more."

"That I did. Been traveling around, have you?"

"We traveled _enough_ " Jane said, pacing around, looking at the items. Sometimes she would touch one of them lightly, before moving on to the next one distractedly.

"I see… May I ask how you found me?"

"It's a small town, Gold. It wasn't that hard." She smirked and looked at me in the eyes. "Besides, you apparently are a very _well-known_ person around here." I kept just looking at her for three seconds, before speaking.

"I'm afraid I don't have those beans at the moment. You see, it takes a while to grow and harvest them. They are very rare magical items nowadays, and I must confess… I didn't think you'd come."

"It's all right. In any case, we'll be staying for a while. We are finding Storybrooke quite… _Interesting._ Now, what's this favor you asked for when we first met?"

"Walk with me, will you?" I said, motioning for her to follow me to the backroom.

-x-

[RUBY'S POV]

Regina left the bedroom and quickly waved us all goodbye. Henry had come to the table moments earlier, but neither of them looked at the other's direction when she left. I looked at Henry, Snow and David, and all I could feel was tension.

"So, are we gonna discuss the elephant in the room or what?"

"What elephant?" David asked. He genuinely seemed clueless about the events. Was it possible that he _didn't know_?

"I mean. Emma and Regina. _Please_ , tell me you know about it."

"What about them?"

I facepalmed myself.

"Snow… _Seriously_? He's your husband and you didn't tell him?"

"Yes, I know." She shrugged. "It hasn't been easy to deal with it, okay? Let alone understand everything."

"What are you guys even talking about?!" It was Henry's turn to facepalm himself.

"Grandpa. You seriously need to pay more attention to things."

"And you need to take it easy, kid. Your moms didn't chose to be in love, all right? It just… Happened." I said.

"Who's in love?" Emma was now leaning on the threshold.

"You and Mom." Henry said.

"Oh." That's all she could say.

"You're joking." David was thunderstruck.

"Yeah, dad… I might have developed some feelings for Regina. And she for me."

"Jesus Christ, how did that happen?!"

"How does love happen, David? How did it happen to us? There isn't really a script for that." Snow was now holding Charming's hand. He squeezed it lightly.

"How… How long? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because even I didn't know, dad. And I had a boyfriend, and there's Henry, Robin, you guys… It wasn't exactly something easy to say. Actually… Everyone here just kind of figured it out. You're the only one who didn't."

"I'm feeling like a terrible cop right now." Everybody laughed and the moods seemed to lighten up a little. Even Henry was smiling now.

"So, Emma… How are you two now?" Snow asked and bit her lower lip nervously.

"We're not, mom. I don't think we're ready for this. And there are some lions we have to tame, first." She said, looking straight at Henry. He looked sideways at her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Are you gonna tell Hook?" I asked, and Emma sighed.

"No. At least, not for now. I don't wanna hurt him any more than I have."

"Yes. It's best if we're the only ones who know about this." Snow said.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

I went home to take a shower and think about the events that were going to happen at night. I was nervous and anxious, but wouldn't let that show. After some time, Ruby went to the mansion too, since the Charmings needed some time alone with Neal and Henry – who still wasn't really on good terms with me.

Ruby was so nervous that she decided to open up a wine bottle and drink all by herself. When I realized that, I protested. We needed to be sober – or _at least_ – sane to go through this.

We got ready fast enough and still had some time before heading to the bar, which only made our anxiety worsen. We decided to watch some tv, but couldn't really focus. After a while, Ruby started talking just to calm herself down.

"So… The Henry thing… He'll come around."

"Yes… He will. He's a great kid, it's just a lot for him to take." I said, looking at the distance.

"Yeah… How are you about the Emma thing, by the way?"

"Well, we decided to not pursue our romantic endeavor right now. There are other things we need to take care of, emotionally speaking, before venturing into anything new, especially if it involves anyone else."

"And are you okay with that?" Ruby asked, biting her lower lip. I sighed and looked out the window.

"I guess I am. It _is_ a lot to take, indeed. I'm not sure I even had the time to think it through, let alone deal with it, you know. We both need time alone with our own thoughts." Ruby nodded, sitting down at the couch. She was completely apprehensive. I smiled sympathetically.

After some more time pretending to watch tv and chit chat, we finally made our way to the bar. We decided to walk there, since we would be drinking – and to come back, I'd simply poof us back. It wasn't very full when we got there. The girls were already sitting at a table and waved at us. Ruby and I looked at each other and smiled reassuringly. We ordered two beers before sitting down with them. Nobody really spoke for about five seconds.

"Hi. Let's everyone start this all over again, shall we?" Jane said, grinning. The tension seemed to ease up a little.

"Sure thing. I'm Ruby, nice to meet you all." Everyone chuckled.

"And I'm Regina, pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Beth" She smiled timidly, tugging a lose strand of hair behind her left ear. She looked away from everyone, still smiling shyly.

"Well, nice to meet you all. Now, tell me. What is it that you girls do around here?" Jane asked, looking inquisitively.

"You mean, for fun?" Ruby teased.

"No, I mean… As a job. You _do_ work, right?"

"Well… I'm the mayor. Or, at least, I was. It's hard to tell." I said, shifting on the chair.

"Okay…" Jane looked sideways at me and then stared at Ruby "What about you?"

"Oh, I don't live here anymore, actually. I used to be a bartender at Granny's, but now… I'm on… _Vacations_ here." Ruby looked at me and I nodded reassuringly.

"I hope we didn't disturb you that much in the morning." Beth said, looking down at the table. She took a long sip of her beer.

"No… Not at all." Ruby lied. "We just had way too many, we're sorry." She looked at me, and when I didn't say anything, she elbowed my ribs.

"Yes, we are. It's not what we're used to, how we do things." I rubbed my right side painfully and narrowed my eyes towards Ruby. "But what about you, girls? What do you do?"

"Well, Beth and I have been just living the moment ever since we met at about 4 years ago. We were both in law school, but didn't really fit." Jane gulped, but Beth seemed not to notice that. "I'm 29, she's 27. We're still young and the opportunities are _limitless_ , if you know what I mean."

"Yes… We understand." I said and smiled. Everyone seemed to just take a moment to drink and remain silent.

I looked at Beth and tilted my head towards the entrance door, signaling her to walk with me, and she nodded.

"We'll be right back, girls. Going to get some fresh air." I said and they both agreed.

Beth and I took our beers along and went outside. The wind was blowing softly against our cheeks, which was nice. I leaned against the wall and Beth stood right in front of me. I got a text and quickly grabbed my phone to read it. It was from Emma. Beth also took her phone and started texting something, so I didn't feel bad for reading it in front of her.

 _"So, Mom thought it wouldn't be a good idea if I watched over_ _you_ _, so I'll stay close to Ruby. Mom'll be your 'bodyguard'. Text me if anything happens, okay?"_

My heart was beating faster and things only got worse when I saw Emma's shape coming closer to me. She was tense, apprehensive. She looked at the woman in front of me and clenched her jaw, before continuing her path. Beth was still looking at her phone, so when Emma walked beside me and slightly brushed my fingertips with hers, she didn't notice me quivering. Soon enough I saw Snow approaching with Charming. They stayed at a fair distance from us – enough to hear us, but not to seem suspicious.

"So, Beth… How are you, after the hangover and the events from this morning?" I smiled kindly at her, but she still seemed embarrassed. I sipped my beer and she did the same.

"Well… We went to the bed and breakfast and slept it over, a bit." We both chuckled. "But we were also excited to see you guys again. You are very charming." She blushed and looked away. I couldn't help but smile at her.

"So are you." I cupped her chin and made her look at me. "Charming and cute." She blushed harder and looked at the ground.

"Thank you." I suppressed a smile. "I… I never got to tell you this, but… When we were… Well, you know." She looked at a not specific point in the sky and blushed uncontrollably. "You were very gentle and kind. I really appreciate that."

"Oh, dear. That's the least that I can do. I mean… Everyone should…"

"Yes, but not _everyone_ does." She interrupted me speaking fast and seemed very uneasy. I frowned.

"Is anything wrong?"

"I… No! I mean… Nothing. I'm fine." She scratched her left arm nervously and I decided not to press the subject. There was definitely something wrong. Had anything bad happened to her?

Hook's silhouette appeared in the distance, making me gulp and shake. _Emma was inside_. He had a woman with him, and they both seemed to be having a good time. Maybe a little drunk, already, I couldn't tell for sure. When he saw me, his smile dropped immediately.

"Regina."

"Hook, hi!" I tugged my hair behind an ear. "I didn't know you were coming." He narrowed his eyes, standing right beside us.

"Why would you?"

"Um… For no reason." I looked at him with desperate eyes, trying to find a way to tell him. "So, um… The Savior's out tonight. Trying to relax a bit." I said, and he gulped.

"This Savior… Is there a chance we might happen to stumble across one another?" The woman beside him did not understand what we were talking about, of course, but it didn't seem to bother her.

"Yes. Very likely." He nodded and looked at the door. After thinking for about five seconds, he made up his mind.

"Well, I don't need any saving tonight, so…" He faked a smile and walked in with the girl. I immediately texted Emma.

 _"Hook's getting in. I tried to stop him. Text me if anything happens."_

Only then, I realized that I had said the exact same words she had said to me earlier. I was starting to realize we had this thing that we always looked after one another for years now, even when we didn't do it consciously.

"I think there's a chance I've seen this guy before." Beth said. I laughed and she looked at me.

"He was at the bar last night. He's Hook, the pirate."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Not at all." I smirked at her skeptical look.

"Yeah, right."

"That coming from a girl that uses magic beans to travel around." She blushed and seemed shocked.

"I told you about that?"

"You did, indeed."

"Uh… Don't tell Jane I did it… Okay?"

"Um… Yeah, sure, but…"

"She wouldn't like it. At all." She said, unbelievably apprehensive.

"All right. You have my word."

"Can we… Uh… Come inside? It's getting a little cold."

I nodded, knowing only too well it was a lie. She just wanted to drop the subject, and, again, I didn't push her. The Charmings started moving in, too. All this could quickly get out of control, but I honestly, deeply, _hoped_ it wouldn't.

Once inside, I looked around. Ruby and Jane were still sitting at the same table, drinking and laughing, which made me relax a little. Another glimpse around and I saw Emma at the bar just in time for her eyes to meet mine. She somehow looked older and hurt, and I wished I could just go over and hug her until she was ok again, but I couldn't blow our covers. The girls couldn't know we knew each other. At least not here, not now.

Then, I saw Hook, sitting at a table with that woman and three more people. They all seemed excited, laughing loudly and drinking at will, but I could see Hook staring at Emma every now and then. The Charmings walked past us and sat down at a table close to Hook's, maybe to keep him on a leash more than anything. When he saw them there, he stiffened up in his chair.

I looked at Beth and she smiled kindly at me. I smiled back and we made our way to the table where the girls were. Ruby was talking excitedly to her about a funny story that happened to her – as usual. Her sense of humor was amazing. We soon joined the conversation and drank up a little more. Beth kept looking at me at times, and I could feel she wanted something to happen between us tonight.

My head started to get hazy and my thoughts were racing fast. I had to take several deep breaths in order to calm down – there was just too much information at once, _too much drama_. I wondered how it got to that point. Beth seemed to notice and she squeezed my hand lightly. I sighed and squeezed hers back. I looked at the two women sitting with us and pretended to pay attention to what they were saying. When silence fell, I decided to finally get some information.

"Tell me, Jane. Where are you guys from, anyway?"

"Montauk. What about you girls?"

"We're both from… Here, actually. Storybrooke." I lied.

"Don't you think it is a small town for women like yourselves? I mean, you look like you could _rule_ some place." I gulped.

"I like quiet." I nodded. "It's reassuring, calm and _nice_." Ruby looked at me and mouthed "nice?", rolling her eyes.

"Well, I've been out and I can tell you, there's no place like home." Ruby said, saving my ass. I relaxed a little.

"So, Storybrooke. What do you think of the town so far?" I asked Jane, sipping my beer.

"Oh, it's _definitely_ better than I expected. Very interesting, indeed… With many interesting people."

There definitely was something off about all of it, but I still couldn't tell what. Either way, I'd continue my pursuit of the info.

"How long do you plan on staying?"

"We don't know yet. Only time will tell."

Suddenly, a slow song started, and Jane took Ruby by the hand and started dancing. In a sudden boost of courage, Beth did the same to me. We danced for a while, nobody really saying anything. It was nice being close to someone, feeling their heat and body, but at the same time it was frustrating. It took all of me to not look for Emma's eyes, it was like a burning sensation in my chest.

After some time dancing, chatting and drinking a little, Beth and I sat at the table again, a little tired from the moves.

"This was fun." Beth said, laughing, making me smile.

"Yes, it really was. Speaking of fun… What was the most fun place you've been to?"

"Oh, it's hard to say… But I think… Here. Definitely, here."

"Why is that?"

"Oh, I guess… The people from the other places were a bit… _Outdated_."

"What do you mean?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Um… I don't know if you're gonna believe this," _Honey, I will._ I thought. "But we went to some very, VERY different places, like… The medieval kind." I smiled. "And they aren't exactly civilized." I frowned. _We are civilized!_

"I see. I'd like to go on an adventure like that, some time." I teased.

"Well… What if I said we might get more soon?"

"I'd say I'm interested. Go on."

"This Mr. Gold… He said he'll have more to give us. But again, that's a secret." She placed her index finger on her lips vertically and shushed. I smiled and winked.

"This Gold guy seems like a very nice man."

"Yeah… I don't know why he's doing this. Actually, it's my…" She gulped. "Jane. She's the one who does the talking to him."

"Oh, I get it."

Ruby and Jane sat down at the table quickly and seemed exhausted.

"Boy! Have I danced."

"Indeed, you have!" Jane was chuckling. "What are you girls doing? Having fun?"

"Yes, very." I said with a smile. "Hey, Ruby… It's getting late. I think I'm gonna head home." Red faked a yawn and stretched her arms out.

"Yeah, you're right. Last night was intense." Everybody chuckled, this time.

"Well, it was nice meeting you girls a lot more sober this time." Jane said.

"It really was." I said.

We all stood up and hugged, saying goodbye. Ruby and I started to walk away from the table, when Jane said.

"Hey, girls… You know where to find us." Jane winked. We both smiled and left the bar.

-x-

[GOLD'S POV]

It's amazing how people are so caught up in their own heads, that they don't even notice anything that's different. Or _someone_. I had been all night at the bar. I knew something was going to happen, because… Well. _I always know everything_. Being at the only night bar of the city disguised as a total stranger did not raise any alarms - on the contrary. I sticked around long enough to watch Regina and Ruby leave, and a while after that, Emma. Mary Margaret and David took a while. Not long after that, Beth and Jane left, too.

It was now about 3am, I returned to my own appearance, took a sip of the whisky I had ordered hours earlier and walked up to a table. I looked at the figure of the destabilized man in front of me. He had been drinking all night and was alone for quite some time already – his companions all left together. He didn't notice me coming or even sitting down at the table. He was looking down at his own glass, lost in thought. I cleared my throat before speaking.

"Hello, Hook. I think we should talk."


	12. Chapter 12 - New old demons

Chapter 12 - New old demons

[GOLD'S POV]

"So, did you do it?"

"Why are we meeting in a place like this?" Jane looked around, frowning. I had asked her to meet me at the forest, where no one could find us or suspect anything. It was very late indeed, and she seemed very uncomfortable at the location.

I had asked her for a favor when we first met, and I was amazed when she came forward to do it. I needed an insider, someone to help me out, someone no one would suspect. Lucky for me, she had already started the job, even before meeting me. All she needed to do was place a specific potion in a certain queen's drink when nobody was looking.

"You know why. Now, tell me. _Did you do it?_ " She sighed.

"Yes, I did. What was it, anyway?"

"Oh, darling. You'll know soon enough."

-x-

[EMMA'S POV]

I couldn't sleep. It was 4am already, and all the events of the evening were still racing around my mind. Nothing bad happened. Actually, everything seemed to go pretty smoothly, but in my perspective, things weren't good. Hook was there. I knew he couldn't take his eyes off me, and I felt bad. At the same time, I missed him. And Regina was there, too. I had to fight the urge to keep looking at her all the time, and the jealousy that came along. _And I missed her too._

I sighed and picked up my phone. It was 4:03. I typed a message four times and erased everything. Finally, I texted mom.

 _"Hey, mom… Are you up? I kind of can't sleep."_

She didn't reply, probably fast asleep by now. I rolled in bed yet another time – for I had done it many times before, this night. Should I text Ruby? Was she with Regina? Would she answer? _God._ I stood up, paced around and decided to take a walk. I put on a gray tank top, jeans, boots and grabbed my faithful red jacket before I walked through the front door.

The wind was cold against my face and I grabbed my sides with my arms because of the chills that were going down my spine. I did not have a clear destination in my mind, but it didn't matter – I just wanted to walk. After about seven minutes, I saw some movement ahead, near the forest. I hid behind a car nearby and tried to take a closer look. I could see two people leaving the woods together. They stopped walking, talked about something for a few seconds and then left – each going in a different direction.

The shorter person was walking away from me, making it impossible for me to find out who he or she was. The taller one was getting closer to me, turning right in a street a few yards away from where I had been hiding. _Gold._ I watched as he disappeared and I quietly moved in the direction that the other person was heading. I was moving as fast as I could – trying to not attract any undesired attention -, but when I reached the initial spot, the person was nowhere to be seen.

There was definitely something going on, but what could it be? Had I seen that person before? With nothing much to pick up from, I decided to go back to walking. Somehow, every time I did it, I ended up at Regina's. My heart started racing when I saw her sitting on the front porch. I stopped walking right in front of her house, and she smiled at me, patting the floor next to her. It was an invitation, and I soon accepted it.

"Hey."

"Hi. Couldn't sleep?" Regina asked when I sat down to her left.

"No… You?" She shook her head and looked at the sky.

"I haven't even tried. Ruby's inside, sleeping on the couch again. I'm feeling a little uneasy."

"I know that feel." She smiled at me. "So, how was it?"

"It was… Nice." She sighed at the last word. "I mean, better than I had imagined it would. But it was also a little hard." I saw her looking at me sideways. I nodded, not really knowing what to say. "Got some new info, by the way."

"That's great. What?"

"I'll tell you all when we meet with the others, ok? At a safe place. We never know who might be listening."

"You're right. Well, I think I'm gonna go, now."

"Yeah. I better get inside, too."

We smiled timidly at each other, stood up and just stared deeply into each other's eyes for some seconds.

"Bye, Emma." She said, and the only thing I could do was nod. She got inside and I started walking again. I had this strange feeling that I was being watched, but couldn't see anything or anyone when I looked around. I continued walking until I got home, shooting another glance around before I got in. I closed and locked the door behind me, going straight to my room. I laid down heavily on bed and, somehow, slept instantly.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

Right after Emma left, I made way upstairs to my room. Ruby was still fast asleep, snoring. I suppressed a smile and tried to walk as quietly as possible. The room was amazingly empty and big, now. I laid down in bed and looked at the ceiling for about five minutes before finally managing to sleep.

-x-

 _Emma was running fast, terrified. I was running after her, screaming her name, but she wouldn't listen or look back. The faster I ran, the farther she seemed to get from me, and I was beginning to feel tired. My lungs were burning from the activity but I wouldn't stop running. Then, Emma disappeared._

 _I looked around. I was at a different and familiar place, now. It was dark, and I recognized the stable where I met Daniel. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. I couldn't see his face, only his back, and I tentatively called him out._

 _"Daniel?"_

 _He didn't reply. I was getting closer to him with cautious steps. Something was off about it. When I finally reached his shoulder, he turned his face on me. He had no eyes, nose, mouth… Nothing. Then, he grabbed me with both hands and tried to choke me. Echoes of "you did this!" engulfed us as I tried to move away from him. We both fell on the ground, I managed to kick him in the balls and started to run. I only stopped when Snow appeared right in front of me._

 _"We need to get out of here!"_

 _"No, Regina… You did this."_

 _"S-snow…?"_

 _She aimed her bow at me and I gulped. I looked back and saw the faceless Daniel on his feet walking menacingly towards us._

 _"I don't wanna do this, Snow, please. Put the bow down." I conjured up a fireball and placed my other hand in front of me, as both a pleading and a warning._

 _"Oh, but you already have."_

 _Daniel's arms and Snow's arrow hit me at the same time. Before I could even feel the pain, I was at the mausoleum facing the 108 hearts. I heard a noise and looked around. Only then I noticed that my heart had been racing since I started running. I took a deep breath trying to find the source of the noise. Everything was dark, but I sensed a shape walking casually in my direction. I conjured a light in time to see the stranger looking at me with an evil grin on her face, inches away from me._

 _"Hello, Regina." It was the Evil Queen._

-x-

I woke up with a start, my heart pounding in my chest and sweating. My eyes got teary from the light that came from the window – the sun was up and shining bright. Ruby was at my side, looking worried. Her hands were lying on my shoulders, only then I realized: she was the one that woke me up.

"Regina?" She asked, biting her lip nervously.

"Yes… Yes, it's me." I said, exhaling deeply before taking a long deep breath.

"Uh… Yeah, of course it's you." Ruby said, looking worried. "What the hell happened?"

"It was just a nightmare."

"Duh, I know that too. Are you _okay_?" She placed her hand on my sweaty forehead, checking my temperature.

"Now I am. It's over now." I bit my lip with anxiety.

"Um… You… Didn't seem…" She was moving her hands nervously. "Never mind."

"What? Say it." I frowned.

"You…" She looked down at her hands, trying to find the right words. "You… You were _laughing loud_ , with your eyes open, and… You even… _Talked_ to me."

"W-what? What did I say?" Ruby looked into my eyes with concern and fear.

"… You said you were the Evil Queen, and that you were coming back."

-x-

[JANE'S POV]

It was noon, now. I had had little sleep and felt tired, but I still needed to think of the details of my next actions. Everything needed to work perfectly, since I was dealing with dangerous people. I knew who they were. All of them. The conversation in the bar helped me figure out some more information about them. Nobody knew about this, not even Beth – and she was the last person I would tell.

After all, everything started because of her, ten years ago.

 _\- Flashback –_

 _Beth and I were sisters from different fathers. My dad had died before I was born, and our mom hooked up with an abusive alcoholic jerk. He constantly beat her up, threatened us with a gun he kept in his closet and made us do everything he wanted. When I was 10 years old, the sexual abuse started. First, it was just light touching. He never asked me to do anything, but I was so petrified that I couldn't move or fight it. Mom never knew about it, and I didn't have the guts to tell._

 _When I turned 13, my body started changing. My breasts were bigger, I had grown up about three inches and my curves were starting to show. That's when he decided to take my clothes off for the first time. When I was 14, the rapes started. My mom found out one day when she caught him leaving me naked in bed. He only smirked at her, and she looked horrified at me. I was bleeding, molested, humiliated. My tears didn't allow me to fully see her – which was great. I remember wishing I was dead. Wishing he would die, wishing none of that had happened… But to no avail. Real life was cruel, nothing like the fairy tales I learned to love. They gave me a belonging feeling._

 _Nothing really changed after that – except my mom. She got depressed, wouldn't talk to us, to him, or anyone. She stopped going out. Stopped eating. Soon enough all I could see in her was misery. The day that that monster raped Beth was the day that she killed herself._

 _I was now 19 years old, and couldn't take it anymore. Beth was 17, and she cried herself to sleep every night. It was unbearable to watch. Her father seemed completely unaffected by the fact that our mom had taken her own life, and now he was not only raping his stepdaughter, but also his own daughter. His own blood._

 _I could see in Beth's eyes the pleading for mercy. She wouldn't survive much longer in that situation. Of course, we tried to tell people, but some of them thought we were lying. Some of them didn't care at all. Most of them thought it was our fault – that we, somehow, asked for it. Rage was growing up inside of me incredibly fast. I would not stand it. I had to do something. And something I did, indeed._

 _\- End of flashback –_

I took the book in my hands again and took some more notes. It was thick, heavy, with a brown leather cover and golden letters that formed "Once upon a time". I wrote down everyone's names, their physical attributes, descriptions and characteristics. Nobody knew I had found this book – casually, like it was meant to be found – and I would use it to my advantage. Soon enough, I would never fear anyone else _ever again_. _They_ would fear _me_.

-x-

[DAVID'S POV]

Snow was holding Neal in her arms, a little exhausted by our night out. Granny had been helping a lot, taking care of him in our recent emergencies, but I knew how much Snow missed and was devoted to him. She yawned and I smiled.

"I think you both should sleep."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." She stood up slowly and walked to the bedroom, singing a low song to Neal, who was also yawning. Henry joined me at the table, looking tired and sad.

"You all right?" I frowned.

"I don't know. Do you think I was a dick?"

"Hey! Language!"

"Sorry…" Henry placed his head over his hands on the table and looked even sadder. I felt my heart sink at the sight.

"I think you had a reaction to something that wasn't planned. Maybe you overreacted, maybe not. It's just how you felt about it, there isn't much of a right or wrong thing, kid. It's what you do about it now that matters." He looked determined at me.

"When did you get so wise?" I threw a crumpled napkin at him – to which he dived – and we laughed. After we composed ourselves again and sat straight, he continued. "Seriously, grandpa. Do you think they'll forgive me?"

"Of course. They're your mothers and they love you. I'm sure they understand." Henry sighed.

"I hope you're right."

"Tell you what. The sooner you apologize, the better for everyone. Are you ok to do it now?" He only nodded and stood up.

"You know what?… I'm going to Ma's right now. Wish me luck." I crossed my fingers, ran a hand through his hair – to which he quickly complained and I laughed – and waved him goodbye.

"Good luck, Henry." I said, and he left.

-x-

[EMMA'S POV]

The doorbell rang. I made my way to the door and opened it up quickly, revealing a troubled Henry. He looked emotionally exhausted and sad. Before I could say anything, I pulled him closer for a tight hug, to which he corresponded affectionately.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry, Ma. I really am." He was sobbing now, hugging me tighter.

"It's ok, kid… Everyone does stupid things once in a while. Even you." We both chuckled and cried at the same time.

We broke the embrace and entered in the house, sitting down at the couch. He was holding my hand and looked extremely lighter after our hug.

"Ma… I know I messed up. I didn't know how to react to you and Mom being together, it was just… So _new_ to me." I ran a hand through his hair, and for some strange reason, he didn't complain this time, he only smiled.

"I know. It hasn't been easy on any of us. Even we don't know exactly what to do."

"How are you handling things?" He asked and seemed worried.

"Well…" I sighed and started walking around. "Honestly, I don't know. But things are slowly starting to make more sense to me, now."

"What things?" He asked, moving his feet at the couch, like a kid would.

"I saw Hook at the bar, too. He was sitting with a woman, they were obviously having a thing, you know? But instead of feeling jealous or hurt, I felt… _Relieved_. I want him to be happy, I really love him. But now I'm sure I'm not in love with him anymore."

"Okay… That's a starting point."

"Yes. On the other hand, I know for sure that I'm in love with your mother." I bit my lip nervously and sat down again beside Henry. "But I feel like there's so much at stake." He didn't say anything, so I continued. "For starters, there's you. I was so worried, I thought I had ruined everything, and that I'd lose two of the people that I care about the most – you and your mom."

"Oh, Ma… You'll never lose me, no matter what." He hugged me childishly, and I couldn't suppress a stubborn tear before it fell.

"Thanks, kid." I wiped the tear away when we broke the contact. "And then, my folks. I was worried about their reactions, too. Fortunately, they didn't think of it as a big deal. And, finally… I'm afraid of what's gonna happen when Hook finds out."

"I understand. But, mom… All those things you're saying… They don't depend on you. They're just other people's choices, opinions and thoughts. You can't change what they do with their own lives. But you can change what happens to yours. Don't you wanna be with mom?"

"I do. Now I'm sure."

"So why aren't you? Forget about me and other people. What's really holding you back now?" I looked down at my lap and thought about it for a second.

"Fear."

"Okay. And when has that ever stopped you from doing anything? You're like the bravest person I know." I looked at him and grinned.

"I'm starting to think you have a point."

"Of course I do!" We chuckled. "But seriously, thought. Don't let fear keep you from living your life."

"How old are you, huh?" We laughed and tickled each other. After some minutes crying, surrendering and with much tickling, we stopped and just stared at one another.

"I love you, ma. I know better than anyone how much you two deserve to be happy. And if your happiness is with each other, well… Then what are you waiting for?"

"Yeah. I'll think about it, kid. Thanks. Now let's watch a movie and eat popcorn until our stomachs hurt."

He laughed and rushed to the kitchen to do the popcorn.

-x-

[RUBY'S POV]

Some hours had passed since everything happened. The sun was setting quickly, announcing the start of another night. Regina had told me like a thousand times that it had been just a nightmare. I didn't believe her for a second, but I let her think I did. She looked petrified ever since she truly woke up, frightened, even. I wasn't sure what had happened, or why she was so jumpy after that. _It had been just a nightmare… Right?_

I made us lunch, but she barely touched the food. Her body was tense and she seemed uneasy all the time. She seemed to realize that I knew something was off about her after a while.

"Ruby… Can we keep this just to ourselves?" I looked at her. We were at her study, sitting on the couch.

"About the nightmare?"

"Yes." She gulped and reached for a whisky bottle and a pair of glasses. She poured us drinks and handed mine. We toasted and took a sip.

"Of course. No problem." She sighed, relieved.

"Sometimes I have them, but… This one was… _Intense._ "

I nodded and took another sip of the drink. The doorbell rang. Regina and I went to the door. We were very thunderstruck to see that it was Beth.

"Beth, hi!" Regina said, utterly surprised.

"Hey…" She said, scratching the nape of her neck and looking at her feet.

After about three seconds, Regina asked her to come in, and she accepted. We all went to her study and more drinks were served. Beth drank all the liquor in one sip, causing me and Regina to look at each other sideways. We didn't say a word for a while. Regina got up and filled Beth's glass again, leaning against the desk. Beth took another sip and took a deep breath. Then, she finally looked at us.

"I think I… Kinda… Need your help."

"I'm listening." Regina said, drinking from her own glass. It was my turn to sip it all up and fill my glass again.

"But I can't tell you everything yet. I just… Know Jane is up to something, and it's not good."

"What do you mean?" I asked and Beth got up and started pacing around, hands shaking.

"We never went to law school." I looked at Regina; she also had that confused look on her face, unsure of how to proceed. "Do you mind if I smoke?" Beth said, picking up a cigarette from a pack on her pocket. She lit it up before the answer came.

"Beth… Are you okay?" Regina asked carefully. Beth looked at her in the eyes, trying to fight some tears.

"No. It's the first time… Ever since… I think I can…" She seemed to be going through a mental struggle. I got closer to her, placed my hands gently on her shoulders and gestured for us to sit down. She followed and took a deep breath. Regina was still leaning on the desk, taking another sip of her drink.

"It's ok, we got you. Whatever it is, we're here to help." I said and watched as Beth quickly wiped a tear from her face.

"I think I can trust you. But I can't disclose much for now. If she finds out that you know… That I even told you anything… It will get messy."

"Okay. Don't worry, take your time." Regina said and moved towards Beth. She went down on her knees and held Beth's hands reassuringly. Beth smiled timidly.

I smelled something. I looked around in time to see Emma appearing by the door. She was about to say something, but stopped when she saw Regina and Beth holding hands. Regina seemed to _sense_ Emma and looked at her. Immediately she let go of Beth's hands and got up. Beth quickly stood up, too.

"Here's my number… Call me, please. I need your help." She handed Regina a business card and walked past Emma without saying a further word. Emma raised an eyebrow at Regina, looked at the card and then turned her back on us, heading towards the front door, too.

"Emma!" Regina called and ran towards the door. When Emma opened the door, Regina closed it abruptly, placing her arm on it. "It's not what you think."

"Yeah, well… I think this was a mistake."

"It wasn't. Let me explain it to you. _Please._ "

I was standing halfway through the study and the front door, without really knowing what to do.

"You have five minutes." I heard Emma say to Regina, and they both entered the study again, closing the door behind them.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

I picked my abandoned glass on the desk and took a long sip. Emma fetched herself a glass and sat down at the desk. I raised an eyebrow at her, but she didn't seem to notice. I stood in front of it, leaning my hands on it, lightly bending my body over.

"The girl needs help. That's what she came here for. There's something going on with her and Jane, but she didn't say much. She was very nervous and anxious, I was just trying to get her to calm down." I turned my back on her, drank the remaining whisky from my glass and placed it on the desk. I crossed my arms around my chest and leaned on the desk.

Emma got up and walked to me. She was facing me, glass in hand. Without breaking eye contact, she drank it up and placed the glass beside mine. I straightened up and we were at eye level.

"I'm sorry. Do you think I blew my cover?"

"It is possible, yes. But maybe she didn't recognize you… I don't know."

Emma unfolded my arms and held my hands on hers. My heart immediately started racing. I pulled her closer and leaned my forehead on hers, never breaking eye contact.

"So, Henry talked to me…" She said, rubbing her right thumb on my left hand, looking at our tangled hands. "… And he is ok with that. _Us_. And he made me realize that… If _we_ are okay with that… Fuck the rest." I chuckled and she smiled with the corner of her mouth. "What do you think?"

"I don't know, I… What about…"

"Shhh…" Emma said, placing her right index finger on my lips. Then, she brushed her thumb over my lips, cupping my face. I felt the goosebumps, bit my lower lip and looked at hers. Our breaths were heavy and quick, and without realizing it, I pulled her even closer, making our hips touch. Her warmth was so nice and fitting, I never wanted to let her go ever again. "What about _us_?" She asked, and I could not think straight anymore.

Desire and need took over my whole being and I pulled her in for a kiss. By the moment our lips touched, I felt a rush of adrenaline run through all my body. Our tongues were dancing together, exploring all possible places in our mouths. My hands were pressing against her hips and hers were cupping my face. I inverted positions, picked Emma up and placed her on the desk, legs spread around my hips. She pulled me closer to her crotch and I moaned, cupping her right breast with my left hand, squeezing it tightly. It was her turn to moan and tilt her head back.

I saw that as an open invitation to her delicious neck. I started kissing the left side of her neck slowly, nipping her pulse point. Her hands were scratching my back with desperation. I reached her earlobe and nipped it lightly, breathing through my mouth on her ear. Her hands were now reaching my breasts, cupping and squeezing, making me bite her neck harder. She let out a loud groan, making me smile.

I shoved all the contents of the desk on the floor and laid Emma down. Quickly enough, I laid on top of her, spreading her legs around my waist. I rubbed my hips against hers one, two, three times, and we were both moaning. We were still very much clothed, to my frustration. I _needed_ to feel her. Quickly enough I distanced my chest from hers, removing my red blouse and bra, exposing my nipples. Emma's eyes changed to a darker shade, pupils dilated with lust. I smiled with the corner of my mouth and watched as she sat down, removed her jacket, tank top and bra. I was still straddling her, she pulled me closer and our nipples brushed against each other's body, making us both quiver.

I pushed her hard against the table, taking one nipple in with my mouth, sucking, licking rapidly and circling it with the tip of my tongue. Her hands were scratching my scalp, eyes closed and body arching with desire. When I felt her nipple get hard on my mouth, I moved to the other one, repeating the process. Both my hands were exploring her naked torso, scratching and squeezing her sides. I started kissing her body slowly, eventually sucking on a specific part. When I reached her bellybutton, I circled it with my tongue and licked it fast. I could see she was desperate for contact, gently moving my head towards her still clothed crotch.

I unbuttoned her jeans and opened the zipper, removing her jeans as quickly as I could. She helped me out and laid down again. Her panties were soaked and my heart skipped a beat. I _needed_ to taste her. I ripped her panties out and poofed us to my bed. Quickly enough I placed myself between her legs, nibbling her inner thighs just to tease her. Her left hand was scratching my scalp and her right one was manipulating her own nipple. Her eyes were closed and breath quick. Without warning, I tongued her entrance, making her moan hard. I repeated it two times, before I took her clit with my mouth, sucking it fast.

She tasted _so warm and wet_ that I knew I was soaking my own panties now. My tongue circled her clit quickly, moved up and down, to the right and to the left. Her moaning only grew harder, and without warning, I placed one finger on her stupidly wet entrance, making her scream my name and arch her body even harder.

I thrust my finger inside faster at the second, placing a second finger in no time. Emma pulled me up and kissed me passionately, tasting herself on my mouth and moaning against it. A third finger ventured through her folds and my thumb rubbed against her clit. She was moaning, calling my name and biting her own lip hard. Seeing all the desire emanating from her body almost made me cum, and I nibbled her nipples again, sucking passionately.

Emma looked like she forgot how to speak English, or any other language for that matter. In a desperate move, I stopped everything I was doing and removed my own skirt and panties. She sat down on the bed and seemed like she was craving contact. She looked at my pussy and licked her lips lustfully. If it was even possible, it made me wetter.

"Spread your legs." She commanded, and I promptly obeyed. Emma's legs entwined with mine and our wet pussies touched. The feeling itself was fucking amazing, but when Emma started rocking against my crotch, I could swear I was seeing stars.

The only sounds we could listen to were of our crotches roughly rubbing one another and our desperate moans. Emma reached for my hand and I gripped it tightly. I was so in love with that woman and so happy to feel her so intimately like that that I could die.

I was close to coming, and I knew Emma was too, because she was moaning louder now, and her grip on my hand tightened.

"Re… Regina, I'm… Gonna…"

"Yeah, baby, me too, I'm… _Oh, God._ "

We sat down at the same time and I fingered Emma with three fingers at once. She did the same to me, with incredibly fast movements. We looked into each other's eyes during the whole thing, hands still holding tight. After about thirty seconds, we came together in each other's hands. We were still coming and moaning when we kissed – a loving kiss. The only time I let go of her hand was when I cupped her face and kissed her lips gently. I took my fingers off her and she moaned one last time. I smiled and she looked daringly at me. She pushed me down to the bed and placed her head between my legs. She licked all the cum with slow movements, making me hard one more time. _Damn_. She noticed that and started sucking hard on my clit, making me moan again. Not long after that, I came on her mouth, pulling her head closer to my folds. She licked it all up, looking into my eyes in the process. She knew very well how to tease me and how to make me cum hard.

Emma kissed my whole body while she was going up, playing with my nipples for a while, before reaching my mouth. We kissed slowly, romantically, lovingly. She leaned her head on my chest and we spent the following minutes just hearing each other's breaths leveling up.

My heart suddenly started beating faster and I felt my hands sweating. Emma noticed the sudden change and looked at me, worried.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"I… Nothing's wrong, actually, it's just…"

"What?" She was still looking at me with those penetrating green eyes. Her body was warm against mine, she had just given me two of the best orgasms I've ever had, and all I could think was…

"I love you." I gulped. Was it too soon? Did I misread the signs? Emma was just staring at me and I couldn't read her eyes. I was about to panic. "Emma…"

"Shhh." Her lips touched mine gently, making me calm down. I sighed and we looked into each other's eyes again. "You know this is hard for me, you know… Opening up." I nodded and looked away from her. If I didn't, I knew I'd cry. "Hey…" She cupped my face and made me look at her again. "I said it's hard, not that I don't feel it too." She smiled timidly and blushed. _Emma Swan was blushing. Wow._ She sighed and gently kissed my forehead, then the tip of my nose, and finally my lips. "I love you, Regina Mills."

"You… _What?"_ She chuckled at my surprise.

"I love you. I love you! I love you, Regina Mills. I have for some time." A tear ran down through my left eye. "Oh, baby… What is it?" She asked, wiping the tear away.

"I… I'm just… So _happy_ , Emma. I could die right now."

"Please, don't." We both chuckled, and Emma wiped away some tears that were falling from her own eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long to do this, I mean…"

"It's all right. It doesn't matter, now."

She smiled at me and kissed me again. We stared into each other's eyes for some time before falling asleep. Together. In each other's arms. Because we loved each other, and that's all that mattered now.

-x-

[EVIL QUEEN'S POV]

 _The poor thing didn't even know what was happening._ I stood up from the bed and tried to not wake Emma up. Regina thought she was still in control, but little did she know that her control over me was almost over, and I had a certain Dark One to thank for it. Whatever was on that drink, it was able to split us into two personalities. Sadly, I was still in Regina's subconscious mind, for the time being, which is why I could only take over when she was asleep – completely unaware of what was happening.

I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. With a quick wave of my hand, I fetched a black tight dress and tied my hair in a bun. _That's more like it,_ I thought. Regina thought that had only been a bad dream, and nothing more. She hadn't realized that this was something new entirely. They say ignorance is a blessing. Well, in Regina's case, I'd say it will be her undoing. After I was done, there would be nothing and nobody in any realm capable of stopping me.

I poofed to the mausoleum to get started on my plan. I would certainly need to locate some items and time everything ahead, so I needed to begin as soon as I could. I couldn't help but feel with much intensity the freedom of being able to control a body again. _My_ body _._ The search for the artifact took several minutes – there had been a while since this particular potion has last been used. Lucky for me, it was still 2am, so Emma wouldn't notice me gone for a while. I turned around in time to see a bright shining blue liquid in a vial and smiled to myself. _The time for the Queen has come._


	13. Chapter 13 - Unusual alliances

Chapter 13 – Unusual alliances

[HOOK'S POV]

It's funny how things happen and turn our world upside down like it's nothing. People you love and once loved you betray you, people you thought you could trust are the ones stabbing you in the back… And in the end, the crocodile was the one who warned me about it. And, in fact, it made sense.

 _Flashback -_

 _"Hello, Hook. I think we should talk."_

 _I looked up from my glass and got startled. Of all people, the bloody crocodile was sitting opposite me, wanting to talk._

 _"What on Earth could you possibly want to talk to me? And what makes you think that I'm interested in anything you have to say?"_

 _"Well, I want to discuss something that I'm sure will catch your attention. Correct me if I am wrong, but just by listening to me now, it shows that you're at the very least, curious." I narrowed my eyes, drank the remaining liquid from my glass and lifted it up to ask the bartender for some more._

 _"Speak."_

 _"I 'm aware that you and Ms. Swan are no longer a couple." I nodded and thanked the bartender – who was now placing a new glass on the table before me. I grabbed it and took a sip, only looking at Gold. "And I believe you don't quite understand what happened." I nodded again, shifting on the chair. "What if I told you what happened?" I narrowed my eyes at him again and thought about it for a while._

 _"What is in it for you?"_

 _"An alliance." I scoffed and chuckled at that outrageous line._

 _"You're out of your crocodile mind. Now, I suggest you get the fuck out of here before I…"_

 _"I know who she's seeing." I gulped and felt a stinging pain in my heart. "Oh, yes. She is seeing someone."_

 _"How do you know that? How can you possibly know that?!" I asked and my voice cracked at the end._

 _"Oh, dearie. I know everything. Now, are you interested or not?"_

 _"I am. But I want to know all about this alliance of yours before I accept this deal."_

 _"Trust me. You'll want it more than anything."_

 _I considered it for a moment and looked at my glass. I took a very small sip and looked at Gold again. I sighed and made up my mind._

 _"Speak."_

 _"Regina."_

 _"What about her?" I asked, casually taking another sip of my drink._

 _"Emma is seeing Regina." I choked and started coughing hard. My eyes got teary from the burning feeling of the drink going down through the wrong canal._

 _"Bullshit."_

 _"Well, I'll let you see for yourself and decide. Just think of the way Emma looks at her. You've all been at the same place tonight, you must have caught something."_

 _I thought about it and gulped one more time. It really made sense. There were many times where I caught Emma looking apprehensively at Regina, especially if the girl she was with got a little more physical or intimate. I'll be damned._

 _"See? There you go. And if you still doubt it, I believe you will find more evidence soon enough. All you have to do is look."_

 _And to think that I had gone to Regina's house, asked her about it all, and she denied every single thing. She lied about everything, and I trusted her. And Emma… She must have cheated on me. With a woman. Bloody hell, it felt so wrong, so unfair! I drank the rest of the glass at once, looked sternly at the crocodile and asked._

 _"What do you want me to do?"_

 _End of flashback -_

-x-

[RUBY'S POV]

I had had trouble sleeping all night long. Emma and Regina disappeared in the study together and I knew it wouldn't take just five minutes. To make matters even worse, I _heard_ some of their "talk". If anything, it made me miss Dorothy even more. I wondered if she was ok, if she hated me or wanted me back. Was she trying to find me, like I was? There were so many "if"s involved and so few answers that my head was starting to actually hurt.

I found comfort in a bottle of wine that I found in the kitchen. Alcohol made me feel better, less nervous and more relaxed. It was becoming a habit now, I knew it, but I didn't feel like I had any other choice. Sitting on the couch alone, drinking and trying to watch a movie was the highlight of my loneliness in the past few days.

Blue is the warmest color was the movie I chose. By half of it, I had already finished my first wine bottle and was starting to drink another one. I couldn't help but start crying out of nowhere. The pain was too great. The omitted feelings, sensations and emotions were finally getting the best of me, and it _hurt_.

By the time the movie ended, I was already drunk. Desperation was starting to grow on me, and I felt like I needed some fresh air. I grabbed one of Regina's coats from the living room and walked out the door. The wind was strong that night. Or was it dawn? I wasn't sure.

The streets were barely lit, nobody was there, but me. I walked around for long enough to find myself near the forest – the place where I went back to my most primitive self: _The wolf._

Being a wolf was easy and scary. The thoughts were simpler, so were the needs and the urges. My heart raced faster and the adrenaline rush suddenly took over me. I looked around – no one was there with me. Just to make sure, I smelled around. Nothing.

I took my clothes off and turned into a wolf. The first thing I did was howl at the moon… It was just _so_ refreshing. Then, I started to run. Slow at first, increasing the speed to try to match my powerful heartbeat. Avoiding the branches and vines was no easy task, and I quickly got some scratches on my face and front legs. It didn't really matter, for I was not exactly _feeling_ much after so much alcohol.

I kept running nonstop to nowhere specifically for some time. The landscapes were racing past me, and I felt a little dizzy with all the rush. More minutes went by until I reached a place that made my heart beat faster – if that was even possible at that point: The city limit.

I stopped at once and looked at the sign on the side of the road. I was panting hard from all the running and also the adrenaline, and my senses were still confusing from the alcohol. I laid down on the ground just looking at it for a while, contemplating where I was, where I wanted to be, and also, what I'd leave behind if I just left everyone. After all, I had stablished new relationships ever since I came back. The most important of them was my friendship with Regina. Once, completely unlikely; now, completely imperative. She has helped me more than she probably knew, and I knew our friendship was good for the both of us. We were both taming some demons inside with the help from one another.

Of course, there was Snow, too. My loyal, truthful, lovely friend. The one who has been through it all with me, and hasn't left. The first one to fully acknowledge and accept the wolf, still not being afraid of me. There was Granny, Charming, Emma, Henry… Everyone I've ever known and loved was here. I wondered what it'd be like to be forgot, to forget everyone and just… _Move on._ I didn't realize I was crying for some time, but it didn't really matter.

I never noticed what hit me, all I knew is that I blacked out almost instantly.

-x-

[JANE'S POV]

I was sweating like a motherfucker. The last hour had been very dramatic and exhaustive, with little – not to say "no" – help. I cleaned the sweat from my forehead with the back of my right hand and took a deep breath. The reason I had no help was basically… _No one knew anything about it._

I shoved some more dirt over the hole that now contained the Dark One's dagger. It was deep enough to look like a grave, so no one would suspect. I chose a place near the city limit, where I saw a wolf contemplating a sign. First I threw a rock at its head, knocking it out only to see it transforming back into… _Ruby._ If I had not known who she was from the start, I would be _really fucking scared_.

After more five minutes, I was done. I looked around and saw Ruby still knocked out. _What will I do to you?_ , I thought.

"You look like you need some help." I startled, stiffened all my body and looked around. I resisted the urge to look at the recently covered hole behind me and kept my ground. "Oh, don't worry. I'm here to help. And yes… I know you just hid the dagger down there." The pirate pointed at a spot behind me, making me stiff even harder. "And no, there's no way you can outrun me. I'm here to make a deal." I lifted an eyebrow and looked at him. "She's gonna wake up soon. You can deal with a drunken angry wolf by yourself, or you can let me help. It's your choice."

He had an advantage, and he knew that. I felt frustrated, but I could definitely use some help. Ruby started moving a little bit, still not awaken. _Damn._

"Okay. What do you want?"

"The dagger."

"No way."

"Okay, then. Good luck with the wolf." He said and turned around to leave. He took three steps before I shouted.

"Wait! We can… _Share_." He scoffed. "I know what it means to you. I know _everything_ about you guys. But I can't simply let you have it full time. Let's deal with the wolf, first. Then, I can tell you everything, and you and I make a proper deal. How's that?"

Hook seemed to think for a while, and looked at Ruby. He surely wouldn't have better luck in his entire existence to get a hold on the dagger, so he complied.

"Fine. Let's get her out of here." I nodded and helped him lift her up and move her.

-x-

[EMMA'S POV]

The first morning light was shining timidly against the window as I rolled around on the bed, reaching a still asleep Regina. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. She was lying on her back, right arm up over her head, left arm on her exposed belly. Her head was tilted to the right – my direction, and she looked regal. Her breath was steady, calm, assured. The sun was rising slowly, reaching Regina's naked body. The whole view was so immensely beautiful that I couldn't take my eyes off her. A faint smile took shape on her lips and she turned to her right side, facing me with eyes still closed.

"How long have you been staring at me?" She asked, smile widening up. I blushed a little, turning on my left side to face her, too.

"Long enough. You're just so pretty, I couldn't help myself."

Regina finally opened up her eyes and looked at me. She cupped my face with her left hand and rubbed her thumb on my cheek.

"Good morning, love." Regina said and I smiled at her, took her hand and placed a little kiss on top of it.

"Very good, indeed. Did you sleep well?"

"I think so, yes… What about you?"

"More than I have in a while." We smiled at each other and Regina kissed me gently. I took a deep breath and felt my heart start to race – a common reaction to anything that Regina did physically to me, one that I was getting used to.

"I hate to ruin this beautiful moment, but we must meet with the others to discuss the information and the events that happened with the girls as soon as we can. There is something going on and we need to start figuring out what it is."

"You're right, yeah, we should go… But first…" I came closer to her and kissed her passionately, hands exploring her naked torso and back. It was hard to control myself near Regina, and it looked like it was hard for her too, because once we started, stopping was nearly impossible.

Regina laid on her back again, pulling me over her body. I straddled her and looked at her eyes with deep desire. I bit my lower lip with anticipation and rubbed my crotch against hers. We were both naked, so the feelings and touches were as intense as could be. I was about to go down on her when my phone rang.

"If it's your mother again, I'm gonna have a serious talk with her." Regina said, rolling her eyes. I chuckled and reached for the phone. It was her, indeed.

"Well, might as well get started on that speech." I smirked and she threw a pillow on my face. I quickly dodged it and stuck my tongue out, reproachfully. I ran to the fancy chair and sat down in order to take the call.

"Hey, mom." I said, still amused by our childish display.

"Hey, honey. It's been a day, it's about time we all meet and chat. My place, twelve o'clock?"

"Okay, we'll be there."

"Great. See you."

We hung up and I watched as Regina stood up and went to the bathroom. I looked at the watch – we still had three hours. I bit my lip and followed her. I stopped at the threshold and crossed my arms over my chest, looking at her. We were still both naked.

"So, mom wants us to go over at 12." Regina was bending over the sink to wash her face. I gulped at the sight of her perfectly rounded ass exposing a little bit of her cunt. Without realizing it, I made my way to her, pressing my hips against her ass. Regina seemed to be caught off guard, gasping with excitement. I smiled with the corner of my mouth.

Regina straightened up and our bodies touched one another. I placed some kisses on her left shoulder lightly, trailing over to her neck. When I reached her earlobe, I bit it slowly, making Regina's breath get heavier and quicker. I smiled and exhaled on her ear, reaching for her breasts with both hands. I squeezed and cupped them, and sensed Regina teasing me, rubbing her ass against my crotch. My right hand went down to her right inner thigh, scratching it lightly. I knew she was wet, because _I was too_.

Without warning, I penetrated her entrance with one finger, then another and started with extremely slow movements. Sometimes I would stop my fingers inside her for two seconds, before starting to move again. Regina's breath was getting heavier and I could hear the first moans not long after that.

My left hand was still massaging her breast and nipple and it took less than a minute to make it hard under my fingers. I removed my fingers from inside of her and placed them on her clit, circling it slowly. I knew it felt like torture, and that it made her even wetter. Regina's left hand reached my head and she stretched for a kiss. We kissed aggressively as I sped up the movements on her clit. The more she moaned against my mouth, the faster I went, back and forth, up and down. She was rocking against my hand and my crotch at the same time, making my own clit ache with desperate need and desire. I _needed_ to come for her.

I knew she was getting close to coming now because of her moans. I suddenly stopped all the moves and turned her around. When our eyes met, we kissed passionately, hands reaching all the extent of each other's body. I went down on my knees, lifting her right leg and placing it over my left shoulder. I started sucking her clit as if my life depended on that. I placed three fingers inside her opening at once, moving slowly, in contrast to my tongue's speed.

After some moments, I sped up my fingers, thrusting harder against her opening, slowing my mouth and tongue's moves. I licked her clit lightly five times, before sucking it completely, now as fast as my fingers. My left hand was holding her thigh on my shoulder, scratching the inner part hard.

Regina's moans were incredibly loud now, her head was tilted back and her left hand was moving my head against her crotch. Her right hand was massaging her own nipples slowly, and I knew she was about to come. One second before she did, I stopped all the movements and stood up, looking at her in the eyes. She felt the absence and I waited for five seconds. We only broke the gaze when we kissed, and I thrust three fingers in her opening. She moaned again against my mouth, breath completely uncontrolled. I moved my fingers inside of her as fast as I could, and it took her about 30 seconds to come hard on my hand. I felt her walls tightening against my fingers as she came, body twitching and hands scratching my back hard. Her last moan came in my ear, making my clit ache even more with need. I bit my lip hard and removed my fingers from her at once, causing her another twitch of come. I smiled with the corner of my mouth at her.

"God, you're evil, Ms. Swan."

"Maybe I am… But so are you, _my_ queen." Regina bit her own lip and pulled me closer to her, kissing me passionately. After some seconds, she whispered in my ear:

"So, how do you feel about dildos?" I was caught off guard and couldn't hide the dirty smile that followed.

"I'd say I like them. I really do."

"Let's say I have one, and would very much like to _fuck you hard_ with it… What do you say?"

"I say… _Fuck me rough, your majesty_."

Regina's eyes got black with desire, pupils extremely dilated, like my own. We rushed to the bed, holding hands. She threw me in bed and I watched as she magicked a strap-on on her crotch. It was thick and big, and I bit my lip with expectation. I pointed my index finger at her and bent it signaling for her to come over me. She quickly obeyed and kissed me hard, laying all her body on mine, the cold dildo rubbing against my exposed clit. I gasped with the new sensation and she smiled. Regina looked at me in the eyes saying nothing for five seconds, and before I knew what she was doing, she penetrated me at once. I let out a loud moan, and she stopped moving with the dildo fully inside of me. She spent another five seconds just looking daringly at me. _She was such a tease, too._

"Regina… _Fuck me._ " I almost begged her, and she smirked. _That bastard._

Without warning, she started bucking against my cunt. First, nice and slow, as if to test me. It felt _so good_ having her inside of me, I felt my walls tight against the dildo, slowly stretching. After a moment or two, she started bucking even faster and harder. She took it all off and thrust it in again, several times. We were both moaning, sweating and gasping. Regina was _very_ good at this, and she seemed to have realized that by looking at me. Suddenly, she stopped and laid down on the bed beside me.

"Come here, baby." She said and pointed at the stiff member on her crotch. I sat down on it quickly, straddling her. I moved fast, rocking against her. We never stopped looking at each other, pupils dilated and in darker shades with lust. Her hands were cupping my breasts, massaging and rubbing my nipples in fast movements. It got to a point where it felt _so fucking good_ that I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I was almost screaming, very close to coming. Regina sat down on the bed and started bucking her own hips against mine _hard_ , hands gripping me closer and tighterto her. I placed my head beside her left ear and came with glorious spasms on the dildo, moaning hard and loud against her earlobe, resting my chin on the corner of her neck.

Only then I realized we were hugging each other. Regina's arms were on my lower back and mine were around her neck. We stayed like that, not talking, just feeling each other's intoxication for several minutes. _Damn, I really loved and needed this woman,_ I thought.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

After some time, we decided to take a shower together. Since we had spent a long time having sex, the shower itself was pretty quick and methodic. It didn't take long for us to get dressed and ready to go. Emma and I went downstairs to the kitchen. I made ourselves some coffee and started drinking the liquid that seemed like it came from the gods, when I noticed something.

"Honey, have you seen Ruby?"

Emma seemed distracted, looking for some food in the kitchen cabinet, and answered casually.

"No… Isn't she in the guest room?"

"I don't know, I'll check it out."

She only nodded and I walked over to the room.

"Ruby?" No answer came. I entered it and looked around. There was no sign that she had even entered it the night before. I was starting to get worried and walked over to the living room. The couch was messy and there were two empty wine bottles on the floor, but there was no sign of Ruby. I looked around and found out that one of my coats was missing. Now I was fully desperate. Emma entered the room after a few seconds, and when she looked at me in the eyes, she seemed to freak out a bit.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"It's Ruby, she… I don't know where she is."


	14. Chapter 14 - The beginning of the end

Chapter 14 - The Beginning of the End

[RUBY'S POV]

I woke up and looked around. I was in a place I'd never been before. It was dark, smelled musty, and I could hear a trickle dripping down a drop every two seconds. I was alone in what appeared to be a cell, locked up. Slowly I began to feel the pain in the nape of my neck growing. _Probably where they hit me_ , I thought.

Overtime I became accustomed to the darkness, and I was able to observe more details from where I was confined. The walls were made of stone, like an old dungeon. The air was cold and putrid, as if the sun did not belong anywhere near the place I was in. I sniffed for a few seconds and found the source of the putrid scent: there was an extremely decomposed corpse at the end of the cell. All I could see were bones, identifying the gender or identity of the body would be impossible.

I sighed and tried to see beyond the iron bars that separated me from freedom. There was a light in the distance, but no sign (or scent) of any person present. I looked up. There was a kind of trapdoor high up, about ten feet high, also with iron bars.

Near the gate that separated me from the real world, there was a wooden glass with a liquid that looked like water. I smelled it a few times to be sure, and I saw that it was indeed the sacred liquid. I took it in small sips and slowly, leaving half of it behind. I tried to hide the rest in a blind spot of the cell, because I did not know when it would be possible to access water again. It was then that the headache began. _Hangover. Of course_. I could remember few things about the way I was hit, but nothing seemed very clever at that point. Especially when it came to a town like Storybrooke, where danger was always on the loose. The question was: why me? Why now?

I looked around again and began to mentally calculate if I would be able to destroy the iron bars in wolf shape. As apparently I was alone, I could try, no problem. I quickly turned and pushed against the bars. The first blow struck me in the neck, and I whimpered. There must have been some magical protection around the iron bars that made it impossible for me to break them. I returned to human shape and could feel a bulge in the affected area. It would probably turn purple, but I did not care. My only concern at the moment was to get out.

Before I could think of any other way to escape my prison, I heard distant footsteps approaching the place. My accurate hearing told me they were two people. I heard them murmuring in the distance, and I lay on the ground, in the position I had woken up, pretending to still be asleep. Footsteps approached, and I heard a noise in the gate. A short time later, the steps distanced themselves and ceased. I looked at where the figure had been and saw a plate of food with a plastic spoon on the floor. My stomach rumbled. I quickly ran to the plate and ate everything, not caring about quantity or quality. I had just finished chewing the last spoonful when I felt my vision blurring again.

Mental note: check the food out, before consuming it.

-x-

[SNOW'S POV]

I checked the clock one more time. It was about 12:10, and Regina and Emma were late. The food was starting to cool down - I had cooked for everyone. Henry was sitting at the table with David, talking animatedly about a new adventure game that had been released, and I smiled. They got on really well, and they looked like two kids sometimes. Even so, David was still mature enough to deal with sensitive situations. That's how he managed to protect us from the evil Queen's attacks when Emma was born, and even though he was injured, he managed to send her to another realm through the magical wardrobe that Gepeto had made.

He looked at me as he smiled at some joke that Henry had told, and his eyes emanated tenderness and love. I could not have chosen a better man to be the father of my children than him, for all that we had been through together. We just stared at each other and smiled for a few seconds, before we heard desperate knocks on the door. We awoke to reality along with Henry, and quickly went to the door. As soon as I opened it, Emma and Regina ran inside, not knowing exactly where to go or what to do. Emma babbled nonsensical things at the same time Regina began to tell a story in a low voice. I could not understand a word of what anyone said until David stood up and said:

"SILENCE!" Everyone froze and looked at him. "It's ... Ahem." David cleared his throat. "One at a time, please." He said and sat down again at the table. Emma started, trying to contain her emotion, almost completely unsuccessful.

"So Ruby was at home... I mean, at _Regina's_ house, and..." She blushed. "Well, suddenly. she was not there anymore, and..."

"The truth is we do not know where she went." Regina finished. "We do not know if she just left, but since she's not here, I-" She began to walk in circles, thoughtful. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at me, pleadingly. "Do you know where she is? Did she tell you anything?"

"Er ... No, Regina. Unfortunately not."

Regina sighed and sat down on the floor, desolate. Emma sat down next to her, hugging her. Worry began to grow within me.

"If she's not with you... Where could she have gone?"

"Exactly! That's why we're here." Regina said. "I know we had more important issues to discuss now, but... She's... _Important to me_." Regina looked down and tried to keep a tear from running down her cheek without success. "She's very important to me. And I know she's for you, too." She said, looking at me. "What can we do?" Suddenly, Regina completely changed her body language. She seemed resolute, decisive, and unwavering. I admired it in her.

"Well ... Did she leave a note? A message, clue... Anything?"

"No." Emma and Regina said, together.

"Right. Was she kidnapped in the house, or did she leave spontaneously?"

"One of my coats is no longer in place, so I assume she must have left sometime."

"Right. Well, did you ever ask Grandma?"

Regina and Emma looked at each other at once, confused.

"How come we did not think about it before?!" Regina asked Emma, who just shook her head uncomfortably. I smiled.

Before he could speak, David had already picked up his cell phone and was calling her. We waited anxiously, everyone looking at him expectantly. Within a few seconds he shook his head, indicating that, unfortunately, Grandma did not know about Ruby's whereabouts. I heard some frustrated sighs, Emma and Regina were muttering things I could not understand and David sat exasperated at the table.

"Well ..." Henry began. Everyone looked at him at the same time. "We can try a locator spell." Everyone stood silent for a few seconds, absorbing that information.

"That's ... Brilliant! Henry, you're awesome." Regina said, hugging him tightly. Henry smiled shyly, but hugged her back with the same enthusiasm.

"Right... Great! We're going to need some object from her..."

I headed toward the bedroom in search of his famous red cape. She had been with me ever since we brought her home from the woods. I paced the room silently so as not to wake baby Neal, who was taking a nap. After a few minutes, I found what I was looking for. I smiled to myself and hurried back to the living room, showing the cloak to everyone with a triumphant air. I was received with applause and energetic thankful words. I quickly made a gesture of silence and murmured, "Shh! Neal is asleep! ", Causing subtle laughter to the participants - and myself.

Emma reached for me, signaling for the cloak.

"You go and find my best friend, please. I have to stay with Neal." I handed it over without ceremony, and she cast the spell on it. Quickly the cape began to move itself in the air, heading toward the door. Regina opened it and everyone rushed after it.

All I wanted was for her to be safe and secure.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

We ran for a considerable time after the cape, entered the forest and continued running for about ten minutes until we entered a clearing previously unknown. We stopped to look around cautiously. The cape then flew quickly to where a silhouette laid on the ground in the center. Carefully, as if someone were handling it, it covered the strange figure on the floor.

I walked slowly there, ignoring Emma's arm holding mine, indicating I should stop. When I came within ten feet from the figure, my heart warmed and relief took over my whole being.

"It's her!" I yelled, and they all came hurrying in our direction.

I bent down and checked her vital signs. Her pulse was weak, but she was alive. She was unconscious, perhaps doped, but well. David carefully picked Ruby up and lifted her up. I could see from the peripheral vision that beneath where she was lying there was a small folded note. I picked it up and opened it, but it was blank. No one else had noticed that, so I just put the paper in my pocket and teleported back to Snow's.

David put Ruby on the bed - she looked like she had a fever. Mary Margaret promptly put a damp cloth on her forehead and covered half her body with a light blanket. Henry volunteered to be "on guard" next to her if she woke up.

We went into the living room and sat down at the table. We all seemed exhausted by adrenaline and worry. Mary Margaret put a bottle of wine on the table and glasses for everyone. I looked at her in surprise.

"What?! It was a stressful day, okay?"

"Okay... I did not even say anything." We both smiled at each other.

David poured wine for us all and toasted the successful mission.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked, after a time of silence.

"I do not know... It could be anything, it could be nothing." White shrugged, and I sighed.

Emma took my hand and squeezed it comfortingly. I smiled at her and found her expression softening a little.

"She'll be all right, Regina." David said, smiling.

My eyes began to get wet with emotion, and I took a large swallow of wine. Emma shook my hand harder, as if to say "it's okay, I'm here for you." I cleared my throat in an attempt to make the knot in it magically disappear.

"Well, I think I'm going home then... It was too much emotion for one day. Do you promise to take good care of her?" My eyes were pleading.

"Of course, Regina. Don't worry." White said.

I nodded so that Emma could come to a corner with me to speak.

"So I was thinking, and... I think... I want to be alone today. Is that all right?" I bit my lip, eager for what she might think of it. Emma initially frowned, but her expression softened quickly.

"It's okay, Regina. Don't worry. We'll catch up later.

"Of course. And thank you." I smiled sheepishly at her. "For everything. For things you can not imagine... And for still being by my side."

Her gaze indicated a certain confusion and indignation.

"Why would not I be, Regina?" I took a deep breath, my eyes closed.

"Because... No one ever stays, one way or the other. I mean... We almost lost Ruby today, and there was Daniel, Robin, and I just..."

Emma kept me from talking, sealing her lips gently on mine. Only then did I realize how tense my body was. I relaxed my shoulders and held her tight. We stood in that position for a few minutes, just feeling the warm body of each other and our breaths. Emma's scent always caused butterflies in my stomach, and my heart never beat slowly in her presence.

"Hey..." Emma whispered in my ear. "I love you. I'm here for you, and we're in this together." I sighed and hugged her tighter.

"Me too, my love."

We parted and looked into each other's eyes. I could see the gleam in her eyes and a smile quickly forming. I smiled back at her and sealed our lips in a tender kiss. We said goodbye and I teleported back to the mansion.

-x-

[JANE'S POV]

"Do you think it will work?" I asked.

The dim light was frequent all over the place. It was like a dungeon - totally unknown to the people of Storybrooke, newly discovered by me, almost by accident. It was not on any map, not even Hook knew about that place.

"Of course it will. You saw them, just like me. It is a matter of time until the right person understands what that means."

"Is she going to-"

"Ah yes. Regina will not decipher the message, but the Evil Queen will. You bet. And when she does... Well, you'll see."

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

I got home after such a commotion. What we had planned to solve had been postponed for obvious reasons - we needed to first understand what had happened to Ruby, and who had done that. It was of the utmost importance to know who the present enemies were. Late afternoon lurked through the clouds that rose in the sky indicating a possible rain later. The thunder in the distance confirmed my suspicions.

I took a few deep breaths, looking at the place Ruby had been last - the living room. It was still all messed up, bottles were scattered, cushions, not to mention the kitchen. I know that all magic comes with a price, but psychologically speaking, I just was not in the mood to pack anything at that moment. With a simple movement of my right hand, I reorganized the living room and the kitchen. I looked up the stairs and started to climb them very slowly. It seemed that my body weighed a ton.

I went into my room and lay down. Immediately I was flooded by Emma's striking scent on the sheet and pillows. I pulled one closer and hugged it tight. God, I loved her. I was relieved to have Ruby back and everyone was well. Without much energy remaining, I removed my clothes and placed them next to me on the bed. The little paper that had been next to Ruby fell on the bed. The window was open and the first light of the moon filled the room. Seconds before falling asleep, I realized that the paper had shone in an intense silver color, but I did not have the energy to figure out what it meant at that moment.

-x-

 _I was running in a dark, stone corridor, and I could have sworn it was from my old castle. I felt that something was chasing me, but I did not know what. I could hear a devilish laughter echoing all over the place, and the fear growing with every hurried step I took. I had known that corridor, but the doors and windows were absent, and I seemed to be walking in circles._

 _\- I'm coming, Regina. You can not escape._

 _I recognized that voice. It was..._ _mine_ _._

-x-

[EVIL QUEEN'S POV]

 _Finally_ , a little freedom. It was hard to get in touch with Emma around - too risky, and I could not screw it up - not now. I sat on the bed and looked around. The open window made the room light up in the moonlight. It was then that I noticed a luminous sheet of paper on the bed. I was curious and reached out to open it. The person who wrote it had been clever... It could only be read on a full moon - like today. It seemed to have been duly architected for a specific person to read. Judging by the _Sleeping Beauty_ in my head having nightmares in that instant... It was not her.

 _"We have the dagger. Meet us at 02:00 at the Jolly Roger. "_

It could not be. HOW did the pirate get the dagger?! Who was he working with? Did he know I was coming back? And why did he tell me this, and wanted to talk to me?! It did not make sense... Unless... He _needed_ me for something. I looked at the clock - it was 01am. Well, if I was going to do that, I had to get ready.


	15. Chapter 15 - Loose ends

Chapter 15 - Loose ends

[EVIL QUEEN'S POV]

Going into the enemy's natural territory had never been a good idea, but the pirate seemed to need me for something. Otherwise, he would never have asked to meet with the Evil Queen. Modesty aside, everyone knows my power, my reputation, and what I'm capable of in order to achieve what I want... And nothing, nor _anyone_ would stand in my way, this time.

I could not draw any attention in case anyone saw me - and I knew deep inside that there was always someone looking, no matter the time or place. I would pass for Regina, so I chose tight black trousers, black high heel boots, a blue blouse, and a black coat. Since it was already dawn, it was cold. The light of the moon shone brightly in the streets, and a chilly wind ran down my spine as my footsteps echoed more and more on the sidewalk. Yes, I could just teleport myself there... But I wanted to enjoy a rare moment of freedom to use that body. _My body_.

I walked hastily to the Jolly Roger, watching everything around me. I did not seem to be being followed, but I would not be leery to the point of being sloppy. As far as protection is concerned, I've always been careful. Except when it came to love. Argh. I knew that the only thing that was keeping me from taking all control was the love Regina felt for Emma. Unfortunately, even though I was separated from her, I felt it too. It was as much a part of me as Regina, and it was the main reason I put my plan into practice as soon as possible.

As I reached the harbor, I saw a male figure blackened by the low light on the ship. Hook. Right behind him, a woman jutted out, a little shorter, but familiar, somehow. I got on board, being about five meters from the pair.

"Hello, Hook."

"Regina." He nodded and I protested, rolling his eyes.

"Please... Call me _Your Majesty_." I smiled with the corner of my mouth, and so did he. "And you are...?" I asked the woman, who was now protruding beside Hook.

"We met. Better yet... I met _Regina_. My name is Jane."

"Ah! Yes... It's hard not to be the protagonist of my own body all the time." I placed my right hand on my temple dramatically, letting out a muffled chuckle right away. "But that will soon come to an end."

"I hardly recognized you, _Your Majesty_ , in these contemporary clothes." Hook said, half-closing his eyes.

"Ah, my dear. I need to be discreet! I'm surprised you know that I'm 'awake', I can not risk everyone knowing _beforehand_. By the way... How did you know?" It was my turn to look at him suspiciously and frown. I walked around the room discreetly. Nothing seemed out of order, and there seemed to be no one else there.

"I told him." - Jane said. "By the way, you should thank me."

"Thank you?" I looked at her with disdain. "Because…?"

"Because it was _me_ who placed the potion in your drink when we were at the bar. Thanks to me, there was a split in your personality."

I smiled and walked over to the woman. Her incredibly pale skin seemed to light up in the moonlight and the glitter of the sea all around us. She was not much taller than me, although I was wearing high heels. Maybe she was around 5ft7in. Her blue eyes glittered furiously and intensely as she looked back at me. I smiled.

"You're ambitious, I can see it in your eyes. What else did Gold ask you to do?" Jane stared at me hungrily, and she smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

"Nothing. Amazingly, that was all he wanted, from me."

I just looked into her eyes for a few seconds, processing the veracity of what she had told me.

"And how did you get the dagger?" I walked again and stood facing Hook, now. I looked up to meet his eyes and he looked untouchable.

"It wasn't me. It was _her_." He said, pointing the hook at Jane.

I was stunned, but I did not let it show completely. After countless attempts by several different people, _she_ got the dagger?! But how?

"Oh, really? And why should I believe she got such an... _Unlikely_ achievement?" I said, walking around the boat, turning my back to them.

"I saw it with my own eyes. That's how we became... _Allies_." I turned to look at them again in time to see Hook glancing at Jane.

" _Sure_. And what do you intend to do with it?"

"That's where you come in." Jane said. "We need your magical abilities, and we have reason enough to believe that you sympathize with the Dark Lord as much as we do."

"How did you get it?"

"Does it matter?"

"It matters to me." I looked at her suspiciously. "No one would have a chance as good as this, even more so by being a mere mortal... No offense."

"None taken. It turns out I had this _chance_. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but... Belle is no longer here."

Hook and I looked at each other quickly, only then acknowledging reality. Jane seemed to be one step ahead of us, and I just did not know how.

"What..."

"She left. And left only one note for Rumplestiltskin. I think this ended up by... _Distracting_ him." She smiled wickedly. _Damn, she's good. Almost as good as I am. Almost._

A few seconds of silence filled the vast expanse of land and water all around us. Only the icy wind filled the silence sometimes, causing chills in the three of us.

"Well, you still haven't told me why you need me.

"We're going to kill Rumplestiltskin and you're going to help us."

-x-

[GOLD'S POV]

I woke up with a start. I was panting and sweating through all my body. The clothes were glued to me, and the mattress was soaked. I did not need to sleep, it's true. But being awake without Bella, and not knowing how to find her did not give me much perspective. I had tried, once again, to find comfort in my dreams. In them, we were still together. The problem is that Bella always died in the end - always because of me.

I needed to fix it right away, undo all this mess. It's true, I had always prioritized power, despite all the obsession with Bella and my children. She was pregnant and had no desire to build a family with me. Gideon had given her an alert - which she followed suitably. How she'd been able to just walk away and leave no trace was still a mystery to me. I had been careless, relaxed... I did not think she would, in fact, leave me.

That's why I needed the Evil Queen. Only she could throw the curse again and erase everyone's memory. Back to the way it was before. At least the city was mine, hers, and no one got in our way. Ignorance is a blessing, and an empty, soulless heart suffers less than a broken one. I had to contact her soon, but I would have to wait for her to come to me. Because _she would come_.

-x-

[BETH'S POV]

One more day was dawning, and I could not sleep. The moon was slowly setting, giving way to the first rays of sun appearing on the horizon. My window was open. It was very windy now, so I went to close it. That's when I saw Jane walking back to Granny's. I ran back to bed and covered myself with the blanket. Our rooms were conjugated, and she always came through mine. Since when she suffered from _my_ father's abuses and rapes, she looked after me... In her own way.

I had much to be thankful for, it's true. But it doesn't mean that I did not conform to the way everything happened. Everyone judged us, they pointed their finger... Even my mother was complacent to the abuse... But not Jane. It changed her in irreversible ways.

I heard a noise at the door. I concentrated to look like I was sleeping soundly when she opened the door and came in, trying to make as little noise as possible. In a few minutes she went to the doorway that separated our beds and crossed it. A few more seconds and I could hear her falling exhausted in bed. It didn't take long before the first accumulated snoring of sleep and stress took over. Only then did I realize that it seemed that I had been holding my breath ever since. I exhaled slowly, breathing deeply afterwards. I desperately needed to talk to someone.

My eyes were watery and desperate. I closed them, one single tear trickled down the side of my face and fell onto the pillow. Once again, I was going to sleep out of sheer exhaustion.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

I woke up from a restless sleep and it seemed that I had just gone to bed. I had dreamed something about Hook and Jane, but didn't know what, exactly. I looked at the window and I could see the sun beginning to rise. I looked at my cell phone on the nightstand beside the bed. There was an unread message from Emma. My heart sped up and I smiled.

 _"Baby, I hope everything is fine. Rest, tomorrow we'll talk about everything with the others. We'll go to the mansion, okay? Neil's staying with Grandma. And don't worry about lunch, we can go out to eat later, at Grandma's. "_

I set the alarm to ring at 11:00. It would give me enough time to go back to sleep and get ready for their arrival.

-x-

My sleep had been quiet and dreamless this time. I felt as if I had slept instantly after putting my cell phone back on the nightstand. I turned off the alarm and for some reason I thought of Beth. I had not spoken to her since the day she came to me for help at my house. A lot of things happened too fast, I hadn't been able to talk to her again. She had given me her business card... Where was it, again?

I got up and started looking for it in my room. I looked in the drawers, pockets of coats, dresses... Nothing. I went to the office and started looking. It wasn't hard to find it – it was right on the table. I sat down on the chair and started typing a message on my phone.

 _"Beth, how's it going? I know I've neglected you recently. You came to me for help, and I just let you down. Forgive me. Some things happened. Can we talk? I'll explain everything."_

A few seconds later the answer came.

 _"Regina, I'm glad you texted me. We need to talk. Rabbit Hole, 7:00 p.m.? "_

 _"Great! I'll see you there."_

She seemed apprehensive, but she was not the only one. I looked at the clock. It was 11:10, I had 50 minutes until they arrived. I went to the bathroom and undressed, looking at myself in the mirror. Despite the sleepless night, I did not look as bad as I suspected. I smiled to myself and went into the shower. The water was warm at the right level. I let the water run through the length of my hair, shoulders and back to the toe. For a few minutes, all I did was enjoy the water falling on my body. I slowly cleaned myself, savoring the relaxing moment. When I finished, I wrapped myself in the towel and went to the bedroom to get some clothes. There was a separate outfit hanging from a hanger. _That was odd, I do not remember having the clothes made the night before._

Without thinking too much about it, I wore black pants, a blue blouse, and black boots. I put on my favorite perfume, a light makeup and looked at the clock. They would arrive at any moment. As I made my way down the stairs, the doorbell rang. I hurried on and went to the door. I opened it and let them in. Emma came in first, greeting me with a light kiss. Then Henry came in, hugging me tight. Snow and David greeted me and went in too. At last, Ruby. I ran and hugged her tight, like I've never done before.

"My God! I can't believe it... Are you okay?!" I pulled back from the hug and looked at her from head to toe. Physically, there did not seem to be anything wrong with her, so I hugged her again. I could hear some laughter, making me laugh too. We held each other for a few more seconds until I released her.

"Thank you, Regina. And to all of you." Ruby said with tears in her eyes. "If it weren't for you, I don't even know..."

"Shh... It's okay." I put my right hand on her shoulder. "Come on, get in!"

She went to the sofa and sat down with Henry, and I closed the door. We all settled in: Ruby next to Henry, David and Snow together, and Emma and me. As we sat down, I could feel Emma's fingers interlacing with mine. I couldn't keep out a smile, and she noticed it.

"Well, where do we start?" Snow asked, tapping her knees lightly. "It seems like it all happened so long ago, and so much has happened..."

"Okay, well... I think we should start with the night we went out with Jane and Beth." I started, and Ruby nodded.

"That 's right. Regina talked to Beth that night."

"Really? And what did she say?" Emma asked, releasing my fingers and crossing her arms, visibly jealous. I put my right hand on her left thigh and she relaxed a little. _Just a little_.

"Well, she told me that Gold gave them a bag of magic beans, and that with them they got to know several kingdoms. Including _ours_."

Everyone seemed a little confused by what I said, and it had been difficult for me, too. The idea of a mortal and powerless human to visit our realm was virtually inconceivable, for several reasons.

"And that's not all. Gold gave them the beans, and they got in touch when they came here. Beth does not know the details very well, the one who deals with him is Jane, but it looks like he'll provide more beans to them."

The murmur increased, and soon no one could understand exactly what the other was saying.

"Okay, but..." Snow cut off and everyone got silent. "What does that mean?"

"Surely there was a price. Gold never does anything for free. The question is, what was it?" Emma asked, holding my hand again, apprehensively. I put my left hand over our interlaced ones and caressed it.

"We don't know." Ruby said. "And Beth probably doesn't know, either. And it doesn't end there. She was here a day later, looking for us to help her. She looked... _Terrified_."

"What did she say?" David asked, this time.

"Nothing very conclusive, I mean... As soon as Emma arrived, she hurried off, leaving only her greeting card with her phone number behind it. But I texted her today and we agreed to go to the bar."

A silence took over the place. Everyone seemed to be immersed in their own thoughts, tense and apprehensive. Somehow, everyone seemed to assume that the recent events had something to do with Ruby's kidnapping.

A timid knock on the door woke us up from our daydreams. I got up, glanced around with a confused look, and went to the door. My heart skipped a beat and I sighed in surprise as I realized who was standing before me, holding a baby.

"Hey, sister." She said shyly.

"Zelena?!"


	16. Chapter 16 - Reencounters

Chapter 16 - Reencounters

[REGINA'S POV]

"Zelena?!"

"Hi... Can I come in?" She asked after an awkward silence.

"Of course..."

I opened the door and she entered, Robin was asleep in her arms. She looked at all the visitors, and no one said a word. As if everything could not get even weirder.

"Zelena, please, sit here." Emma said, standing up and offering her place. Zelena silently obeyed her and sat down.

Silence again seized the room. Emma and I were standing, and I realized that I was open-mouthed up to that moment. I pulled myself together, closed the door, and walked to the sofa. I sat down beside Zelena and smiled shyly. She looked tired and rather uncomfortable. I tried to chitchat to ease the mood.

"Where have you been? You just _vanished_ , I didn't know where to start looking for you... I was worried." I looked at my lap. My fists were clenched by the recent tension and twist.

"I'm sorry." Her voice came out almost like a whisper, and only I could hear it.

"Well, Regina. It was great, but we need to grab some lunch." David said, standing up. Snow looked at him and bought the idea, getting up quickly as well.

"It's true. We're hungry. Henry, shall we?" She looked at Henry, who quickly got up too. Luckily, his belly rumbled just then, relieving some of the tension and making everyone smile.

"Mom, see you later?" He asked tenderly.

"Yes, Henry. I'll call you." He smiled at me and went to the door.

"Emma, are you coming?" David asked, already at the door. Only then did she realize that she was standing there, just looking at us.

"What?" She woke up from her daydream. "Oh, yes! I am. Er... Bye... _Regina_. Emma bit her bottom lip and walked past the door without looking back. Everyone murmured "goodbye" and left. David shut the door behind him.

I stood up and conjured a bottle of Whiskey and two glasses. I sat down on the other couch and poured my drink into my glass. When I was about to pour Zelena's, she interrupted me.

"No need... I'm breastfeeding." She said, smiling and looking at her daughter in her arms. "I still can't."

"Oh." That's all I said, before taking a long sip of the drink that was coming down ripping my throat.

"Sorry to come without warning, it's that..."

"No problem!" I said, maybe a little too fast.

"Regina..." Her eyes filled up with tears. "I'm really, really sorry. I missed you so much." It was my turn to tear up.

"I missed you too." My voice cracked and I cleared my throat, trying to hide the tears that insisted on coming.

"I couldn't stay. Not after Robin -" A tear trickled from her eye. "Especially because it was Hades' fault. Oh, how could I be so stupid!" Zelena looked at the ceiling, conjured up a crib, and put Robin inside. Then she began walking in circles.

"I think this whole misfortune in love must run in the family. I said, smiling slightly. Zelena gave one of her gorgeous smiles and then we all laughed together. She came over to me and sat down, wiping away some restrained tears that were coming down with the laughter.

When we finally stopped laughing, we hugged each other.

"Where did you go?"

"Well..." Zelena said, taking a deep breath and standing up. She walked in circles again, staring at the floor. "I went to Oz."

"What?! How..."

"I know, I know! It was the last place I should go, I know... But then again, it was the only _home_ I knew."

"But what… How?"

Zelena sat down again on the other couch. She looked sad now, talking about it. I chose not to push her any further. I waited patiently until she felt the urge to say something.

"I came back using the Apprentice Wand. I looked for Dorothy and... I know she just didn't kill me right there because of Robin. She took me to a cell... I did not even protest. I guess Ruby didn't even know. It was all done very stealthily; Dorothy didn't want anyone to know that I was back. Maybe to not incite panic or violence in the residents... Maybe she didn't know what to do, herself."

"Ruby doesn't know. She would have told me." I said. Zelena just nodded.

"She made me pay, in a way. She took Robin out of me and the wand. I felt miserable, all I wanted was my daughter back. Every day I screamed, begged... And she went there, just to see me suffer, and left. Then, one day, everything changed. Ruby left. So she went to my cell." Zelena swallowed hard.

I waited for a few seconds, not pressing her. Robin made a noise and seemed to wake up. Zelena took her in her lap lovingly and started breastfeeding. The gleam in her gaze was evident... She had become, indeed, a mother. I could not help but smile.

"Well, Dorothy went to my cell and... She said she was going to kill me." She swallowed again. "She even tried... I know she did. But in the end... She just sat on the floor and started crying. I hugged her. She resisted, at first. Hit me, tried to get me away from her... But then she accepted. She said there was no point. None of it had, since Ruby was gone."

"And then?" I asked, unable to contain myself this time.

"Then she let me go. She handed me Robin back, safe and sound and, oddly enough, the wand too. That's how I got back."

"But Ruby came back some time ago, why did you take all this time?"

"It took Dorothy a few days to finally let go. I ended up coming back just over a week ago, but..."

"You didn't know how to talk to me." I said, looking into her eyes. She nodded silently and looked back at Robin.

"There wasn't a single person who trusted me in this city. Nobody. And with Robin... I could not take my chances. I set up a well-hidden house in the forest and put in several protection spells, including one to prevent it from being seen by anyone but me."

"I understand. I know we've had our differences before, but... I hope we can trust each other now. A lot has happened since then, and we are two different people now." Zelena nodded again, not looking at me.

"Aren't you going to ask?" I was surprised by the question, but I smiled.

"I've been waiting for you to say it spontaneously." We both laughed lightly.

"Dorothy didn't want to come with me." My heart sank. "Not because she does not love Ruby... But precisely _because_ she loves her. She thinks Ruby doesn't want her anymore. Especially for not coming back to her. Now, without beans, it's impossible."

"Ruby misses her so much. If she only knew..."

"Ah, love!" Zelena laughed and I followed her. "I don't know why people insist on something so irrational, with such destructive potential." She sighed.

"By the way, we're trying to get more beans. It's a long story." Zelena looked a little confused. "I need to update you on _a lot of things_ , sister."

-x-

[RUBY'S POV]

Snow, David and Henry went home, Emma and I decided to go to Granny's. We both seemed rather apprehensive about Zelena's return - much more than the others, at least. We sat in a booth closer to the other end and ordered burgers and beers. A short time later Grandma brought the beers and gave me a reproachful look for drinking at lunchtime. I didn't care, that situation had been too sentimental with me and I needed to let it out. Recently, alcohol had become a good friend despite the risks. I drank the first mug in just two long sips and signaled Grandma to fetch me another one, making Emma a little worried.

"Hey, take it easy, Lindsay Lohan!" I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"Zelena is back, and I can only think of one place for her to have been all this time." I looked at Emma at the end of the sentence.

"Oz."

"Yes." Grandma brought a new mug and left mumbling something.

"You think she'd be back there, after all?"

"Well... Where else would she have gone, then?"

Emma grunted something as if she were trying to think to herself, without coming up with an answer.

"What are you thinking?" She asked. I took a deep breath and took a sip of the beer.

"Assuming Zelena went to Oz, she may have found Dorothy there. And if Zelena found her, and now she's back... Dorothy could have come back, too."

"There's a lot of assumptions in your sentence, Ruby. Until we talk to her or Regina, we will never know. After all, they both hate each other. There would be no reason for them to come together or _come back_ together in the first place."

"You're right about this. Aaah, it's extremely agonizing not knowing the truth!" I said, drinking again. Emma was also drinking quickly, and signaled for Grandma to get her a second beer. She was also apprehensive. "What about you, what are you thinking?" It was Emma's turn to take a deep breath.

"Well... Where do I begin? Uh…" She drank the rest of her beer and waited for Grandma to bring her the second one. She took another sip and only then began to speak. "They never trusted each other much. The sisters' relationship has always been very troubled. I don't know if this return will be good or bad for either of them. And also... You can relive some memories..." Emma took another sip... Bigger, this time.

"Are you afraid Regina will remember Robin, now that Zelena is back?"

"Yes." Emma placed her forehead on the table with a thud, avoiding my gaze.

"How are you two?"

"Great." She said in a muffled voice. "We've never been better."

"So why worry?"

"I ask you the same thing." Emma said, looking up at me. We laughed subtly at the rhetoric.

"Cheers to this drug called 'love'!" I said, raising my mug.

"Cheers." Emma said, tinkling her mug in mine.

-x-

[REGINA'S POV]

"... So you and Emma... ?" I bit my lower lip and nodded. "By Merlin's beard! How did this happen?!"

"Ah, well..." I thought about it for a moment, staring at the ceiling, before looking back at Zelena. "She tried to use our romantic approach as a form of control for the Evil Queen not to come back, but she fell in love. She broke up with Hook, who _obviously_ did not take it very well... Henry hated us a little, her parents were a little shocked, we tried to avoid it, until Henry gave us his blessing and she decided to give us a chance." I took a deep breath after vomiting all of this.

Zelena's mouth was open and she was quite scared.

"I know, I know... I've never thought about it until now, you know... _Women_. But with her... It's _different_." I blushed and looked away.

"Oh. My. God. Are you..." Zelena whispered the next words. " _In love_?"

"Yes, we are." I whispered as well.

"I lived long enough to see it. _Wow_. I mean... You don't waste time, do you? Robin has barely died and you-" Zelena stopped talking as soon as her eyes met mine. She swallowed hard.

My eyes got teary, and I still wasn't able to deal 100% with everything that happened. Yes, I still felt guilty for falling in love with Emma so fast. Yes, Robin had died a short time ago. I got up and turned my back on her, pretending to organize something that was supposed to be out of place.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean..."

"It's all right." I said, turning around and forcing up a smile. "It's all right. It's nothing I hadn't thought about myself." I looked at the floor. "But hey. Now that you're here and you have that wand... You can take Ruby back, can't you?"

"I-I-if she wants to, yes."

"Great! I'll talk to her as soon as possible. I bet she'll be beaming!"

Zelena smiled. Her smile did not meet her eyes.

"What's it?" I asked.

"Do you think I... Is it safe for me to show up?"

"Yes, it is. Let's talk to the people together. It will work." I sat down again, taking another sip of Whiskey. Zelena seemed like she wanted to say something, not knowing how.

"Zelena? What do you really want to ask?"

"I... I was thinking..." She lowered her head and tossed her hair back behind her ear. "Can I-" Zelena took a deep breath. "Nevermind."

"Please, say it." I said, encouraging her.

"I just..." She looked me in the eyes "I wish I had a little more... Contact with you. You know, visit more, these things. You're the only family I have left." Her voice came out like a whisper in the end. I smiled.

"Of course. Let's start all over again. From scratch. A new page from our book."

Zelena smiled and hugged me again.

"You should live here, in the city... And not in the forest."

"Yeah... I'll think about it." We smiled at each other. "Well, I'll go now. It was too much information and emotion for one day." We laughed together. "See you tomorrow?"

"If you want, of course." I put my arm around her back, lovingly.

Zelena went to the crib, took Robin in her lap, and said good-bye.

-x-

I called Emma and she didn't pick up. I thought it was odd, but I didn't call her again. All that commotion had made me hungry, and lunchtime had passed some time ago. I decided to go to Granny's and have something to eat. The day was warming up gradually, contrasting with the chill of the dawn. _How did I know that the dawn had been cold?_

I walked over and greeted some people on the way. As I entered the restaurant, I heard two people laughing hotly. I was surprised when my eyes found Ruby and Emma sitting together, drinking. I went to the table and greeted them.

"Oh, hi, Regina!" Emma said, trying to stop laughing. "Ruby was telling me about some stories of her as a wolf... Did she tell you about that time when she got a flea infestation in her..."

"Yes!" I said quickly, changing the subject. They both laughed again. I looked around, a little embarrassed, but people did not seem to care much. "It looks like you've been here for a while."

"We're here since that time… We had lunch and we decided to drink, a little." Emma said, trying to stop laughing. "Now I know why you like her so much. Ruby is a lot of fun."

"So are you, sheriff!" Ruby said, pretending to lower a cowboy hat with her hand.

They both laughed again and Grandma brought a beer to each of us, even though I hadn't even ordered mine. I looked at the beer and at her.

"Believe me, you'll need it." Grandma left reproving out loud the behavior of the two.

Ruby and Emma toasted and I joined.

"A toast to the shitty love!" Ruby said, tinkling our mugs.

"Wow, what happened here?" I said, taking a sip with them.

"Ruby has some theories, and I share them.

"Tell me, Regina. Zelena was in Oz... Wasn't she?" Suddenly, her eyes showed supplication and an intrinsic sadness.

"... Yes, she was."

I told her everything Zelena had told me, omitting some _details_ about Dorothy wanting to kill her, for example.

"... This means she didn't wanna come." Ruby looked at nowhere specific, sinking into her seat a little.

"She didn't know if you still loved her, Ruby. She was scared."

"Me too." She mumbled. "But if Zelena came here, it means she can take me back... Right?!"

"Well... Technically, yes. But without the beans, you can't come back." I said, biting my lip.

"Oh." Ruby seemed not to have thought of that before. "I... I won't see you again? Nor Snow or the others?"

I shook my head.

"Not without the beans."

"Why does everything have to be so hard?!" Ruby put her hands to her temples, discouraged.

"Well, all we have to do is get some beans so Ruby can come and go at will, right?" Emma said.

"Technically, yes. It won't be so easy. We don't even know if this story is true."

"This is something for you to find out tonight." Emma said, determined.

 _Beth_. She could give me answers.

-x-

I went home almost immediately, followed by Emma and Ruby. They were already _dizzy_ , to say the least, and for those two to be altered, it means that they had already drunk _a lot_.

I wanted to drink a lot, too. The day had been full of strong emotions, but I needed to stay focused - unfortunately. I needed to talk to Beth in a reasonable state of consciousness.

It didn't take long time to go by, but a little before, I got a message from Beth.

 _"Regina, I'm afraid Jane will follow me, or somehow hear our conversation in a public place. Do you think it would be a bad idea if we met at your house?"_

I looked at the cell phone for a few seconds and Ruby quickly took it out of my hands and read the message along with Emma.

"Does she want to come here?!" Emma asked, spontaneously.

"Emma..." I started, but I was interrupted by Ruby.

"As bad as it sounds, she's right, Emma. Public places are not good for this type of conversation. And also, we can stay here if anything happens. We'll stay in Henry's room."

I did not like any of the ideas, to be honest, but there was no escape from any of it.

 _"Okay, I'll see you here, then."_

She would come in about half an hour, and all three of us suddenly became quite apprehensive. I knew Emma was jealous of Beth for obvious reasons, Ruby was nervous about the elephant in the room and I had no idea what was going to happen.

"Why is it that every time something like this happens, I have to be in the middle of it?" I asked, grouching.

"It's hard to be royalty." Emma said, pretending to make a serious face, mixed with mockery. Ruby didn't suppress her laughter, and I rolled my eyes.

"It's good to know that I have the support of my _subjects_." I crossed my arms.

"Aw, doesn't she look cute? It doesn't even look like she conjures fireballs in the blink of an eye..." Emma continued.

"Miss Swan, I'm warning you."

"Emma, we better get up there." Ruby said, pretending not to laugh. "Her girlfriend... Oops. Beth will be here any minute."

Emma looked at Ruby with extreme disapproval and it was my turn to laugh.

"Don't worry, Emma. She's just another subject." I said, winking at her.

"Behave with that subject."

Ruby and I both laughed and they went upstairs to Henry's room. As soon as they entered, I put up a sound spell on it. After drinking so much, and possibly spying on me, I know Emma would not control some exalted comments to Ruby during the process. That way, even if she screamed, no one outside would be able to hear. All she had to do was stay _inside_ the room.

I went back into the living room and sat down on a couch. I set up the whole place to be impeccable in organization and furniture. I was nervous, but couldn't let it show. Lucky for me, the doorbell rang almost instantly - so I would not be stuck in my thoughts, torturing myself.

I got up and went to the door. Each step made my heart beat faster exponentially. I paused at the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. Beth looked as nervous as I did, which relaxed me a little. I opened the door and gestured for her to enter, politely. She smiled shyly and entered.

I closed the door and pointed to the sofas. I sat down on one of them and she sat on the other one, at a reasonable distance from each other. I had separated a bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table, and I quickly poured ourselves a drink. I handed her a glass and took the other one. Bluntly, she took the first sip, and I did the same. After a few seconds just tasting the drink, I started talking.

"I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner. We had a little setback with Ruby."

"Is she ok?" Beth tossed her hair behind her right ear nervously.

"Yes, she is." I smiled at her. "She had... _Disappeared_ that day, and it took time for us to find her. Earlier today I finally got to see her safe and sound again." I said, genuinely relieved.

"You're very close. I can tell." I blushed a little. "And you make a good pair." I smiled.

"We do, yes. She's a great friend. I'll miss her..." The last sentence came out like a whisper.

"What?"

"Nothing." I shook my head as if I could force that thought away. "But what about you? That day..."

"Can we not talk about that day yet?" She asked, smiling sadly.

I nodded and we both took another sip of the wine.

"Do you happen to have beer?" She laughed, making me smile.

"Yes, I do. Just a minute, I'll get it." I said.

I walked to the kitchen and conjured up two cold cans of beer. I had lied, but I did not think it would be prudent to use magic indiscriminately in front of her. I went back to the living room and found her finishing the last sip of the glass of wine. I held out a can for her and opened my own. Now we toasted and smiled at each other.

"We lied to you." Beth said, looking at the can. "We are sisters."

"Why did you lie?" I took a sip of the beer. Beth sighed.

"We're half-sisters. We were raised by our mother and my father." Beth took a long sip of beer and I did the same. "It turns out my father-" Her eyes filled with water.

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it."

"No, I do." She took a deep breath and seemed to concentrate, looking at a particular spot on the floor in front of her. "My father sexually abused both of us. For years. He even... Raped us." Her voice failed and a tear fell from her eye. She quickly cleaned it. "My mother saw it and could not stand it. After she... Was _gone_ , we lived just with him."

We drank silently for a few minutes, neither of us daring to break the silence. I noticed that her beer was nearing the end and I went into the kitchen again, under the pretext of getting more drinks. What Beth had told me was heavy, a burden she had been carrying for years, possibly without telling anyone. I was finally beginning to understand some of her attitudes and reactions to the way I had treated her. I looked out of the kitchen window - it seemed to be windy outside, announcing a possible storm. Again, I conjured up two cans, took a deep breath, and returned to the living room. I handed one to her and opened my second one. I quickly took a sip as I sat back down on the couch, and she did the same.

"The truth is... Jane hated him. And one day... She killed him."

I swallowed hard and took a sip to disguise it, which seemed to be coming down the wrong side. She didn't notice, still fixed on that spot on the floor.

"She used the gun he had and used to threaten us on himself. One shot at his cock. Since it was hard (he was going to start another rape session on me), the blood was concentrating on it intensely. It didn't take long for him to bleed to death. She wanted to stay until she made sure he was dead. We heard sirens, we knew we couldn't stay there." Beth took a long sip of the beer. "We ran with no money, no other place to go. We started by selling the murder weapon. This made the police later identify us as suspects. Soon everyone was looking for us, issuing warnings and rewards to find us. We are not from Montauk. Jane says yes, but it's just a reference to the movie Eternal Shine of the Spotless Mind. She doesn't want to forget what happened, what she became, even if it's her most desperate inner desire."

Beth again took a sip of her beer and I did the same. That spot on the floor looked very interesting to look at. Maybe she just could not look at anyone at that moment. In this moment, I decided to sit next to her and hold her left hand. She squeezed it with some strength because of the emotional load she was telling me, but she did not move away or repel the contact.

"I can't tell you where we're from… And also, it doesn't matter, really. We can never go back. Ten years have passed since the incident. We go from place to place, and she always takes care of me. We don't starve, and I never ask where Jane gets the money she manages to get. _Maybe it's better not to know_." Beth finally looked me in the eye. "That's how we met Gold. The man who gave us the bag of magic beans. Our life has improved a lot, because, literally magically, we were in a totally different place. The police were getting close, managing to surround us. Last time, we barely ran away. The beans made the trail cool down completely, and they don't understand what happened." One more sip. "If they only knew..." Beth laughed sadly. "But now we need more, if we want to continue. But I know there's something wrong. Jane has been weird, nervous... She leaves without me at odd times and has been pushing me farther and farther away. I'm afraid she's going down a path that there is no going back, you know?"

I was silent, staring into her eyes with my mouth parted for a few seconds. The whole story had been extremely surprising to me. I had been through some horrors too, but that was different. The idea of her own father raping her so often, violating her will and body, was inconceivable.

"Okay, I know it's too much information... Actually..." Beth said, standing up and walking around the coffee table. "I've never told this to anyone before." Beth finished her can and set it on the coffee table. "Is the kitchen over there? I'll get more beers for us-"

"No!" I said, terrified. "I mean, you're my guest." I forced a smile that, fortunately, she believed. "I'll get it."

 _Mental note: Conjure several beers to the refrigerator right now!_

I got up again and went into the kitchen, noticing the rain outside. I added another 20 cans of beer to the refrigerator and removed two of them. As I walked back into the living room, I noticed that she had taken off her shoes and was seated holding her knees - a defensive position. I sat down beside her again, but at a safe distance, so not to frighten her in any way. I handed her a beer again and opened up mine.

"So, all this time... I guess you haven't really gotten close to many people." I said, taking a sip of the beer. We were drinking pretty fast, I knew it.

"No. Jane has some contacts, but no-one romantically attached. Believe it or not, we never even dated." She laughed, before she drank more.

"But you've been involved with other people before, right?" I asked, afraid.

"Oh yes of course." She said casually. "I mean, you weren't my first."

"Oh." I blushed, and she laughed. I took a long sip of the beer.

"It's ok. We never stayed long in any place, so... It was only once that I began to get involved with a woman. It's been five years. We were in this town for a few days, and we went to a bar. We spent all night staring at each other, but no one took any initiative." Beth laughed at the memory. I smiled at her. "So when it was time to leave, I was really mad at myself, you know? Thinking about how stupid I was, and if I was going to see that woman again... Jane noticed it, and even being risky, she promised me that we would be back there the following night. She really kept her promise." Beth let out a smirk and looked down at the floor, timidly.

"And how was it? Did you see her that day?"

"No." Beth laughed. I looked at her, confused. "Actually, we went back there five nights in a row, and there was no sign of her." Beth released her legs and sat comfortably on the couch. It seemed that, finally, she was relaxing.

"And what happened then?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, on the sixth day, I saw her walk into another bar, by chance, while walking with Jane. Immediately she made us go there, even under my protests... I didn't want to look like a _stalker_ or something."

"And did you?" I laughed in a casual tone, and she joined me.

"A little. As we entered, I saw her sitting in the bar. Gorgeous, in a very fair gold dress, high heels and a drink in her hand. I took only three steps until she looked at me. I froze where I was, and she smiled mischievously at me. I thought I was going to die right there." Beth laughed and drank more of her beer. "And then she came seductively, walking slowly toward me. I could tell that his hair was natural copper, with beautiful, bulky curls. Her eyes were green, with a few freckles around her nose. At no point did she take her eyes off mine, and then, when she got close enough..."

"What?! What happened?" I asked excitedly.

"Then she came very close to my ear," Beth said, mimicking the gesture she was describing, making me swallow hard. "And she whispered: _Hey, stalker_."

We were at a minimum distance from each other. As soon as Beth whispered the phrase in my ear, she turned her face towards mine, about an inch away. I swallowed again, looking into her eyes.

"And what did you do?" I asked, biting my lower lip.

"Well..." She said, returning to the original position, to my relief. "I stuttered a lot, tried to deny it... But she had told me she knew I had gone to the other bar every day. She also said that she'd entered that one on purpose, to see how far I'd go for her." Beth stopped to drink again, and continued. "Of course I was furious at first, but all of that was extremely seductive at the same time."

"I can imagine," I said, moving uncomfortably on the couch. That's when Beth put her left hand on my thigh, making me swallow hard once more.

"Can you?" She bit her inner lip, looking at my mouth. _God, if Emma was watching it..._

"Yes... Er... Mine is over, do you want one more?" I lied, pointing at my can (which I emptied using magic). I got up quickly and went into the kitchen without waiting for the answer.

"Uh... Yes, please."

In the kitchen, I took a few deep breaths, murmuring to myself, "It's going to be all right, calm down." I took two more cans and hesitated a bit before returning. When I reached the doorframe, the lights went out. The rain had indeed turned into a storm outside. Great, that was all I needed. Beth lit the way for me with her cell phone, and I quickly picked up a candle and lit it up. I put it on the coffee table. I couldn't deny that this only added to the mood Beth was creating between us, and I would have to think of something brilliant so that nothing would happen between us tonight.

"But then the woman…" I asked, sitting down on the other couch. Beth had taken off her shoes and had her legs folded beside her. "What happened between you two?"

"Well, we've had a pretty intense romance for three weeks. We usually met at the first bar and went to my hotel, which was nearby. In the hotel, well... You know."

I nodded and took a long sip of beer.

"And it was great, while it lasted." Beth sighed, staring out the window. "And then we had to run away again. And I never saw her again."

"I'm sorry." I said, genuinely.

"No, that's fine... I know romance is something I can never have. If I go back, I'll be arrested. I don't know if I'd ever see the sun again. If I don't come back, I'll never be able to stay anywhere for long. What can I do, right." Almost imperceptibly, Beth wiped away a tear that had fallen on her face. "But what about you? I feel like I've said too much." She smiled, but her smile did not reach her eyes.

"What do you want to know?" I asked, taking another sip of the beer.

"How can a woman like you be single?"

"A woman like me?" I asked, confused.

"Ah, Regina. You are wonderful. Besides, you've been a good friend to me." She took a long sip of her beer. "I know you're in love with someone else, I can tell." I blushed a lot with that speech "Otherwise, we wouldn't be just talking all this time." Beth looked at me sideways and laughed.

"Thank you, I think." I laughed back. She had excellent tact and insight "Answering your question... Things are complicated."

"And do I not know?" We both laughed.

"Storybrooke is a city with many mysteries, I would say. And that implies on a lot of things combined, a lot of responsibility. And, I wasn't always like this. I've hurt many people in the past, and because of me... They died."

"Excuse me?"

"I had two boyfriends, and both ended up dying because of me. The first one was killed by my mother, and the second one by my sister's ex-boyfriend." It was Beth's turn to be incredulous and gaping. I laughed at her expression and drank some more.

"It's okay, it's been a long time... But I have to be very careful, you know? It's like there's a part of me that's... _Evil_ , and bad things always happen because of it."

Beth nodded, not quite understanding what I meant, and I could not explain. How would I tell her that I was once the Evil Queen of the fairy tale, responsible for countless deaths and tragedies? She would never believe me, and I wasn't sure I wanted to expose that part of me that I didn't appreciate to anyone.

"And when did you find out you liked women, too?" She asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

"Oh. Not long ago, I would say. Before you, I had only had one experience with women."

"And how was that for you?"

"... It was the best thing that ever happened to me." I looked at the floor with a silly grin on my face that I couldn't suppress. "I love her so much."

"I'm happy for you, Regina. You deserve it, for real." Beth smiled at me, and I smiled at her.

"Can I ask you something? Changing the subject..."

"Of course, go ahead." Beth said, finishing her can.

"Those magic beans... Any chance you could get some for Ruby? No pressure."

"Well, I can try." Beth said "Actually, we still don't know when Gold will give us these beans, but I can try to 'lose' some, accidentally." She winked at me and I smiled. "Why so? If I may ask..."

"She needs to get back to someone, and the only way to do that is through the beans. Otherwise... She has just a one-way ticket."

"I'll see what I can do."

Beth said it at the same time the lights came back. We could see from the window that the rain was almost stopped by now, and the wind was gone.

"Well, I guess that's my cue." Beth said, standing up.

"Are you sure? You can spend the night here if you want. I have a guest room."

"Thank you, but I'm going. Jane wouldn't be happy if I spent the night away from home. She worries a lot, you know."

I nodded and got up, too. Beth came up to me and hugged me tight for a few seconds. I returned the hug with the same intensity, feeling relief from our conversation. When she was letting me go, Beth sealed our lips together for a long time. Since I was not expecting it, I stood with my eyes open, stupefied. Beth released me and whispered in my ear:

"Don't let the girl get away, okay?"

I smiled at her and lifted up my right thumb. She laughed and went to the door.

"Thank you for the conversation, Regina. And for being my first friend in ten years."

"I appreciate the trust, Beth. Call me if you need."

She smiled and stepped out in the faint rain, looking up at the sky. She seemed to be having fun with the feeling, and it was beautiful to look at. I closed the door, locked it, and could hear the door to Henry's room open. My heart raced as I heard hurried steps down the stairs. I was taking the cans to the kitchen when I heard Emma's voice calling me. _Oh gosh. I hope I don't have to sleep on the couch tonight_ , I thought.

As I turned to look at Emma, I felt her arms wrap around me and hug me tightly. Her face was buried in my neck and I could hear her emitting a slight whimper.

"Baby... What happened?" I asked, releasing myself from the embrace and placing both hands on the sides of her face, worried. I stared into her eyes, an incredible sense of anguish and affection forming as I saw the woman I love so much, shedding tears, her chin trembling.

" _You_ happened, Regina."

I didn't understand, looking at her with confusion in my eyes, and I heard Ruby's voice behind us, amusedly:

"She saw everything that happened." Emma glared at her, who just laughed and continued. "And she was all melted with her declaration of love for her."

"So that's it?" I asked, relieved. "You're not mad?"

"Mad? Oh, baby!" Emma pulled me by the back of my neck and kissed me passionately. Her hands pulled me closer, our bodies looking like they would melt together at any moment.

"Ahem." Ruby cleared her throat to get our attention. "Get a room." She said, rolling her eyes and leaving the kitchen.

We looked into each other's eyes again and smiled at each other. There was exactly where I wanted to be, in the arms of the only person who made me feel that way.

"Honey, let's sleep? I'm exhausted." I said, laughing.

"Come on, love."

We walked together, hand in hand to the bedroom. We took off our robes and put on nightwear without losing eye contact. It was amazing the connection we had to each other, and definitely something I did not want to miss. I _wouldn't_ miss it. We laid side-by-side, holding hands. We kissed each other good night, under several promises of love, until we finally slept in a hug.

All was well until the nightmares began.

-x-

[EVIL QUEEN'S POV]

Despite all the overdose of love, I still managed to manifest myself. It was hard to get out of Emma's hug without waking her, but it was about time I started putting my plan into practice. Before, I had only a glimpse, an idea that might or might not work, but this new alliance brought me enormous thoughts and a perspective that until then I could not accomplish alone. It was time for me to become the Dark One once and for all.


End file.
